


The American Way

by Crystal059



Category: Ouran High School Host Club - All Media Types
Genre: Arranged Marriages, Bad Decisions Made By OC, Brief Mention Of Past Abusive Relationships, Brief Trip To New York City though, Car Accidents, Complete, F/F, F/M, Falling In Love, Gay Haruhi, Gen, I swear, Lung Cancer, Mentions of Cancer, Mugging, November Festival, References to Illness, Sucky last two chapters but hopeful ending, The Host Club - Freeform, To Not Tell Her Friends, Underage Drinking, hospital visits, set in Japan, transfer students
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-08
Updated: 2017-10-22
Packaged: 2018-11-10 16:48:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 42,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11130756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crystal059/pseuds/Crystal059
Summary: Four girls have transferred to Ouran Academy from America! And with them comes a tidal wave of drama, secrets, love, and attitude. The Host Club is in for more than they bargained for when three of the girls are engaged to three members. Can the Host Club handle everything the Americans throw at them, especially when romance finds the club members and puts them to the test?





	1. Balls and Gowns

I didn't know if it was coincidence, or just old-fashion, rotten luck on our part, and I still don't know for sure now. It had started out simple enough: just go to a Japanese school until you get transferred back, but it progressed into something more much faster than any of us would have liked. Honestly, I can't put the blame on someone even if I wanted to, it'd end up badly if I did anyway, but I can't say no one's to blame either.

I guess, you could say, it was fate, destiny really. Meaning, this chain of events was meant to happen whether we wanted it to or not, and trust me when I say this, none of us wanted this to happen.

Now, I understand that everyone reading this is thinking I'm crazy, or just thinking that I better get to the point, so I'll explain.

My name is Sam. My three best friends in the whole wide world (they're close enough to be my sisters), are named Mackenzie, Brittany, and Emily. We all come from rich, American families, who made their earnings long before we were born.

And though I can't pinpoint who's to blame for our messed up lives, I can begin by telling you when it all started:

 

(######)

 

I heave my sixth sigh of the evening, flopping face down on to my plushy bed where I spent most of my time. I was tempted to pull my hair down from its elaborate wave, but the thought of my mother yelling at me for the next three days, made me realize it wasn't worth it.

Brittany, the closest to being an otaku out of all of us, plopped down beside me, bouncing a little. She grinned at me, and patted the mattress next to where she sat.

"No wonder you spend so much time here," she stated, teasing me. "It's like sleeping on a cloud with extra fluffiness to spare."

I growled. "He's my love. Get your hands off him," I jokingly shot back. We both laughed as Mackenzie and Emily entered my small, but cozy, room.

"What's wrong, Sam?" Emily asked, beating Mackenzie to the punch. She sat down next to me, patting me on the back. I smiled at her question, closing my eyes, face still buried in the comforter.

"Nothing, Em. I just hate the parties my mom throws," I replied eventually, reluctantly sitting up. Mackenzie joined the group on the bed, choosing to sit on the other side of Brittany. "It never feels like she actually wants to celebrate something that pertains to me."

"It's not so bad." Brittany always tried to cheer me up when it came to my mother. After all, she had problems with her own mother, so sh knew from experience what I was dealing with.

"Well, yeah, but it's major boring. Even with you guys. No offense," I groaned.

"We'd all rather be in here watching Marvel movies or anime," Mackenzie admitted, "but your mom never lets us stay in here while the party's going on."

I sighed for the seventh time, standing and smoothing out my dress nervously. I began to pace, absentmindedly twirling a loose strand of red-dyed hair between my fingers. "It's worst tonight, though. She has an announcement for me! And nothing good can be presented at a party this huge!" I bit my lip, licking away the annoying lip gloss my mom had me wear for the party.

My mother, a woman who thought of my kid sister and father before me or my older brother, had planned a gigantic ball for my Sweet Sixteen. Or, at least, that's what she told everyone. My whole family, my friends, and I all knew that she just called together all the people she knew to announce something big that would mean the downfall of me and my lack of a social life.

Like every other party she's thrown, it wasn't casual wear, so I had to suffer in a dress I vowed never to wear again,and had to put on makeup. But every girl had to do it, so I didn't feel too awkward.

Suddenly, my mother herself swept into the room, beaming a smile I could see right through. Or it might have been because she had gone overboard on the whitener again.

"Girls, the party's out there. Go mingle while I get my special girl ready for her equally special gift," my mother proclaimed, clapping her hands twice. Twin diamonds twinkled on her ears as she strode over to me, sliding her arm around my shoulders.

One by one, my friends exited the room quietly, looking at me and briefly telling me good luck with their eyes. I sent them a grim smile, and turned my attention to my mother, who had wandered over to the large window on the opposite side of my room.

Because I had removed all the mirrors from my room, she was always forced to fix her hair o check her makeup in the window.

"What is the announcement, Mother?" I asked slowly, uncomfortable in the regal silence that seemed to surround her.

"You'll see," was her vague reply. She continued ignoring me, more in favor of redoing her lipstick, and I just stood there, waiting for her to be done. Eventually, she turned sharply on her heel, which was hard considering the stilettos she wore, and brushed past me towards the door. "Follow me."

I walked behind her, staying silent as we re-entered the lavishly decorated ballroom and rejoined all the guests. I grinned at them as they wished me a happy birthday, the only thought running through my head was that I knew none of these people. Giving my friends a small wave as I passed by, I continued behind my mom who was leading me to a tall, blonde boy and his father.

We met, the two adults greeting each other warmly while I eyed the boy up and down. He seemed french, but there was something off about my assumption.

"This is the headmaster of Ouran Academy in Japan, and his son Tamaki Suoh," my mom introduced, her chin held high like always. I shook hands with Tamaki's father before shaking the blond's hand. His purple eyes danced as he gazed at me, and I could tell, his semi-serious expression wasn't his usual one by the way his eyes kept shifting around the room.

His eyes landed on something over my shoulder, and a fluttering gasp left his parted lips. I turned to look at what he was staring at, and found that his amethyst gaze was leveled at Mackenzie. I smirked, glancing back at him.

"If all goes well tonight, you'll be engaged to this young man," my mother told me, gesturing to Tamaki.

"But, Mother, I don't know him," I complained in the most polite way.

My mother brushed me off by saying, "And that is why, Mr. Suoh has been so kind as to enroll you into Ouran with Tamaki. By the time  you are both out of school, you'll know each other just fine." I glanced back at my friends, filled with sadness at the thought of going to another country without them. I turned back to my mother, taking a step closer to her.

"Can Mr. Suoh think about enrolling my friends as well? It would help a great deal when overseas," I asked, half to my mother and half to Mr. Suoh. The man studied me, eventually nodding firmly. I smiled, then turned my attention to the blonde. "Come, Tamaki, I hope you are a good dancer."

He offered his arm to me, like a true gentleman, and I accepted it with a smirk. He guided me to the dance floor, and we began to waltz around with the other dancing couples. I looked at him, my expression sly, for he was still glancing at Mackenzie every so often.

"You are quite the gentleman, Tamaki, but I think most girls find it impolite for their date to be staring at someone else, don't you think?" I said. He blinked at me, a smile easily sliding on his face.

"Princess, I'm only looking at others to compare. I have not even found a diamond to surpass your beauty." He spoke smoothly, confident his words would calm my suspicions. I nodded, and switched dancing roles so I could lead to my friends. He gave me a confused look, but before he could anything, I spun him right into Mackenzie.

She caught him, almost losing her balance in the process, but managed to steady herself at the last minute. Tamaki thanked her and stood up, turning to look at me.

"Tamaki, this is Mackenzie, the girl you've been staring at over my shoulder for the past minute or so," I introduced. Brittany and Emily burst into giggles, while Mackenzie and Tamaki stood there blushing. "And Kenz, this is Tamaki. He's a flirt from Japan who I have now been engaged to."

"Engaged?!" Emily exclaimed. She beamed, laughter forgotten, at me, and gave me a big hug. "That's wonderful!" I smiled, hugging her until she drew back.

"Tamaki, that was Emily, and this is Brittany," I said, motioning towards the girls. They waved in return, and Tamaki swooped down to kiss their hands. Emily's face flushed just a tad, but Brittany held her head high without so much as a tint. I shifted my gaze over to the tallest of my friends, carefully studying how she reacted around the blonde just as tall as she.

Tamaki slid over to the girl in question, and bent down low to kiss her hand as well. Both were blushing when he straightened up again, and I had to bite back my laughter at how ridiculous they were being.

I slid my arm through his, leaning forward as I did. "You're both interested. I can see right through you both, so why don't you two talk while Brittany, Emily, and I gossip about how cute you'd be together," I suggested. Tamaki stuttered at my suggestion, but Mackenzie, being use to it, only smiled and nodded. She knew there was no going against me when I was determined.

I separated myself from Tamaki, and joined Brittany and Emily in giggling over the two blushing blondes.

"So, what's Tamaki like so far?" Brittany asked when Tamaki had led Mackenzie away to dance. I rolled my eyes, playing with a loose strand of hair.

"He's such a flirt," I admitted, "I wasn't kidding when I said that, but he's a good dancer." I chuckled at the thought of Tamaki's not-so-subtle glances at my friend. He's really bad at hiding things like a crush. One would have to be oblivious not to notice. "Does Kyoya go to Ouran Academy?" I asked.

Brittany shrugged. "I don't know. Kyoya and I have never really talked about school before," she replied. I nodded, and Emily sighed in relief. We both turned to her, questioning faces at the ready.

"I'm glad I'm not engaged," she explained. I laughed, for whatever reason, coughing a little. Brittany and Emily gave me looks, but I brushed them off.

"I'm fine," I croaked.

"We really need to get that cough checked," Brittany said. "It's beginning to sound serious."

I waved my hand, as if to get rid of their concern. "I'm fine," I repeated. "It's nothing. Oh, and Mr. Suoh, Tamaki's father and headmaster at Ouran Academy, has enrolled me into his school. I also asked if he could enroll you guys as well."

"Ofcourse, we'll need our parents' permission, but I think that'll be easy," Emily said. Brittany hummed in agreement.

"It is, supposedly, one of the best private schools in Japan," I stated absentmindedly. I shrugged, glancing over at Mackenzie's dancing figure. "Are we still on for the sleepover on Wednesday?"

"Yep," Brittany confirmed. I smiled.

"Well, what are we standing around for? Snacks, or dancing?" I asked, eyeing the brunette standing next to me. I had aimed the question more at Brittany than Emily, but we all knew who the food related questions were aimed at.

"Dancing," she decided, after a few moments' thought. I gave her a stern look, but we headed for the dance floor anyway.

I stuck to Emily's side as we drew closer, on the lookout for any males trying to get close to her. To say I was protective of my friends was correct because they were close to my heart, but with Emily, I was even stricter.

No man deemed an insensitive asshole would come within two hundred feet of my friend. It has been this way since her girlfriend of a year had been stupid and had hit Emily in front of me. I had ended their relationship right then and there. Of course, that girl hadn't been the most recent, nor had she been the last one to raise her hand to Em.

It's a good thing there wasn't a DJ at the party, otherwise I would have been working overtime on making sure no assholes tried to hit on Emily. When we reached the dance floor, Brittany was quick to pair up with one of my cousins while Emily and I decided to pair up in order to dance. Besides, it wasn't like we were the only ones. Most of my younger cousins were still shy around the opposite gender, so they danced with someone from the same gender, or their father, if you were like my cousin Annette, who was still in diapers.

The rest of the party passed in the same manner: with nothing exciting happening, but as far as I know, raves and any other kind of party besides a ball is where the best and craziest things happen, so it was to be expected. By the time the ball was over with, I had almost died of boredom five times.

Of course, my girls had my back, and Tamaki kept me entertained with his futile attempts to woe me. Though, I think he just wanted to try and make up for the fact that he kept staring at Mackenzie. Honestly, I didn't mind, and until I got to know him better, I wouldn't really mind if it continues.

The upside to meeting Tamaki, besides going to another country, is that I can focus on getting him and Mackenzie together. Especially since he and his father are staying in America for a few more days. Just enough time for my friends and I to convince their parents they should come with me and Tamaki to Japan.


	2. Sleepovers and First Dates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter:  
>  "If all goes well tonight, you'll be engaged to this young man," my mother told me.
> 
> "Tamaki, this is Mackenzie, the girl you've been staring at over my shoulder for the past minute or so," I introduced.
> 
> "I'm glad I'm not engaged," Emily explained.
> 
> "We really need to get that cough checked," Brittany said. "It's beginning to sound serious."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Tamaki (for he's the only Host Club member so far in the story), and I mean absolutely NO OFFENSE to any blondes and girls in general. You'll see why I'm saying this in a minute.  
> I'm serious: I mean NO OFFENSE to anyone the following stereotypes mentioned supposedly apply to.

"So," I started, throwing another pillow to Mackenzie before climbing off my bed, "our sleepover is now in session!"

"This is a sleepover, not a trial, Sam," Brittany reminded me, smiling. I stuck my tongue out at her, not noticing when she returned the favor, and plopped down next to Emily amongst the dozens of blankets and pillows spread on the floor. Mackenzie added the last pillow to our version of a floor bed, and sat down as well.

"First topic 'cause I need to know, are we all good with permission to go to Japan?" I questioned between mouthfuls of homemade popcorn. Mackenzie and Brittany confirmed that they had permission while Emily made a funny face.

"What's wrong?" Kenzie asked, taking some popcorn from the big bowl in front of me. I quietly hissed, placing the bowl in my lap possessively.

"I talked to my parents about it, and they agreed, but...." Emily trailed off, shifting nervously.

"Em? You okay? You can write it down if it's hard to say," I suggested. She shook her head and took a deep breath in. She exhaled, causing her bangs to flutter in front of her face.

"They only said yes because, apparently, I'm engaged to Hikaru Hitachiin, who also goes to Ouran," Emily explained.

"But isn't that a good thing?" Mackenzie asked. I mentally face palmed; never ask that kind of question when it's so obvious it's  **not** a good thing. Emily shook her head.

"I'd be fine with it, but I've been secretly engaged to this guy for a year! And my parents failed to tell me about it!" She said, getting worked up. I patted her on the back, rubbing soothing circles there, and she sighed heavily.

"Well, it's definitely worse than getting engaged on your birthday," I stated randomly, purposefully wording it that way to make her feel better. Emily chuckled, wiping her eyes though there had been no tears. I cleared my throat, touching my chest, and making a face.

But before anyone could notice my discomfort, I announced, "Alright, what movie are we watching first?"

"How about a Marvel movie?" Mackenzie asked. "Captain America, maybe?" The group burst into giggles and small jabs at how much Kenz loved Captain America, while I put the movie in. I sat back down with a sigh, which almost threw me into a coughing fit, but I took slow breaths to try and calm my raging throat.

"Can you pass me a water bottle?" I asked, throat scratchy, and muttered my appreciation when Brittany handed me one after opening it for me. I took a big sip as slowly as I could. Maybe I was coming down with strep throat or a cold or something.

I ignored the problem for the rest of the night, but something in the back of my mind told me it wasn't strep throat, or a cold. Anyway, it was too late for me to go to the doctor, the flight for Japan left in less than three days, and no doctor I knew would take a look at my problem on such short notice. Mackenzie's hand grabbed the nearest pillow, the wind from the quickly grabbed object pulling me out of my thoughts.

My chocolate eyes turned to the screen, and I saw Steve interacting with Peggy Carter. I shook me head to clear the multiple distracting thoughts lingering there, and cursed myself mentally because I had miss a good portion of the movie thinking about a nonexistent problem. I was only imagining things, that was it. I realized that because of my nonexistent problem, I had missed my favorite character, Bucky, come on the screen.

"So, what's going on with you and Tamaki?" Emily asked me. I could see Mackenzie glance our way out of the corner of my eye.

I shrugged, piling a blanket on my lap and playing with the fringe. "My mom arranged a date for us tomorrow." I looked at the clock; 12:03, "Today, I mean."

"Where are you gonna take him?" Brittany swallowed around the pretzels in her mouth. "Do you think he's your type of guy?"

I shook my head, "No, but, I won't know for sure until we try and get to know each other more."

We spent the rest of the night/morning watching Newsies, having a short pillow fight, munching on snacks, and drinking soda. Mackenzie was the first to fall asleep, passing out right after the Captain America movie, and Emily was next, making it past the pillow fight, but Brittany stayed up with me until around half past three.

I leaned against the bathroom counter, brushing my teeth while facing Brittany. She was hunched over the toilet, looking a bit paler than usual. I spit into the sink behind me, and turned back around.

"Why do you do this to yourself, Brit?" I asked, hoping she'd answer the question. But, I was hoping for too much, because she just brushed me aside as she straightened up to flush the toilet.

"So, are you planning to do something about the way Tamaki was acting at your ball?" She questioned. I shook my head, letting my question go unanswered for the millionth time.

I spit again. "Why should I? If I end up liking him, and he does it again, then I'll let you pound him. However, I don't like him as of right now, and he was doing nothing wrong." I paused to brush and spit. "He told me he's part of this club that entertains rich ladies. He compliments them, makes them feel special, that sort of thing."

Brittany scrunched her nose up, and stood to join me by the sink. She grabbed her toothbrush and smeared the bristles with an excessive amount of toothpaste. "Sounds weird. Who spends their free time doing that?"

"Apparently, Tamaki and six other guys," I stated. "He didn't give me any other names though. They're very popular, he says."

"Yeah?" Brittany spit into the sink, "Well, when we get to Ouran, we'll just have to see for ourselves." I smiled and nodded, rinsing off my toothbrush and placing it in a ceramic cup near the sink. I turned on the faucet to rinse out my mouth, draining away most of the toothpaste in the metallic sink.

"I wonder what Ouran's like," I commented thoughtfully, wiping my hands on a purple towel before hopping up on to the counter. Brittany continued to brush her teeth, shrugging. "Since it's a rich private school, do you think there will be girls who are stuck up, or does that only apply to Americans and Europeans?"

"That stereotype applies to every country, but you really shouldn't point that sort of thing out when we get to Japan," Brittany said.

"Yeah, I know, sorry about that. I just don't know if I should try to make new friends, you know? I mean, I'm going with you guys, and I'll know Tamaki. Is that enough?"I asked, playing with a strand of hair.

"I wouldn't worry about that right now, Sam. And if you really want to know about the girls at Ouran, just ask Tamaki later today." Brittany rinsed off her toothbrush, starting the same procedure I had completed shortly before. I nodded, staring at the white tile on the wall across from me.

When she was done, I jumped off the counter, following Brittany into my bedroom. "Oh, and, please don't throw up in my bathroom again," I said. "Do it in my mom's bathroom. Lord knows she has more than one." We laughed quietly, heading towards our pile of blankets, pillows, and sleeping bags.

 

(######)

 

I woke up later that day at around one in the afternoon, hopping in the shower since I hadn't taken one the previous night. As I continued to get ready for my date, my friends gradually woke up, each at a different time. Brittany was the first in the shower after me, leaving Mackenzie and Emily to lie amongst the blankets.

"Wish me luck on my date," I asked, pulling on one of my plaid shirts and rolling up the sleeves. They both wished me luck, and I waved goodbye, slipping out the door and down the grand staircase.

Waiting by the front door was Tamaki, already dressed for the occasion. He wore slightly dressy, slightly casual clothes, like me, and smiled charmingly at me when I hit the bottom step. I smiled back, tying my hair up in an untidy ponytail as we headed out the door before my mother could appear.

"Where are we going?" Tamaki asked, looking at me as we walked. I grinned slyly at him, my eyes lighting up.

"Barnes & Noble. It's a bookstore. The one we live by has two floors and a Starbucks in it, so if you want coffee or a pastry, just say something," I told him, bouncing as I walked. The rest of the walk was silent, save for the sound of our feet against the pavement since there was no sidewalk where we were.

Upon arriving at the store, Tamaki insisted that he hold the door open for me, which made me argue that he didn't have to do that for me.

He gasped. Full out gasped, like hand over the chest and eyelids fluttering gasped. "I would never let a lady hold a door open for a gentleman. I insist you let me," he said. I arched an eyebrow, blowing out a sigh of slight irritation at his dramatics.

"Whatever," I responded, rolling my eyes."Go ahead."

Tamaki grinned at me, not triumphantly, but charmingly. He reached out to grab hold of the handle, not taking his eyes off me, and ended up getting hit by the door. He fell in a sort of slow motion, arms flaying a little as he fell.

A cackle escaped my lips, and I slapped my hand over my mouth to save Tamaki from further humiliation. It only took a few seconds for me to even think of helping him up, and I was still cracking up when that happened.

"Oh, so sorry, didn't see you there," an older lady apologized to Tamaki. She smiled pleasantly at me as she passed, and I smiled back using only my eyes since I was still laughing at the turn of events.

The door swung closed, and I held back more laughter because of Tamaki's facial expression. I gasped a couple of times, than burst into a terrible coughing fit where I felt like I was going to barf up a lung. He brushed invisible dust and dirt off his shirt, giving me a cautious look.

After both he and I had recovered, we headed inside, Tamaki double checking to make sure no one else was exiting the store before he headed in. We paused near the magazine section so Tamaki could take it all in, and then I was pulling him toward the horror section.

When reached my favorite writer, I let go of his arm, spreading my own arms out in front of me, and I smiled proudly. "This, is Stephen King, the greatest writer besides Edgar Allen Poe and Rick Riordan!" I proclaimed. I immediately turned a majority of my attention to looking for a Stephen King book I didn't own, debating in my head what I should buy.

Tamaki scanned the books on the shelves as well, his brow furrowed a little in slight confusion. "He is a king?" He asked. I nodded vaguely at the summary of  _Mr. Mercedes_ , but my tall date thought I was answering his question instead. "Is it an American custom to have your title after your name then?"

I placed  _Mr. Mercedes_ back on the shelf, still weighing my options. I paused, "Wait, Stephen King's not royalty. That's just his name." I caught sight of  _Under the Dome_ , and grabbed it. "Are you naturally blonde?" I asked absentmindedly, reading the synopsis on the back cover.

"Yes I am. Why do you ask?"

I shrugged, placing the book in it's spot, and I crouched down to view the books lined up on the bottom shelf. I ran my finger over the many hardcover copies of  _The Shining_ , reminding myself I already owned a paperback version.

"Just that there's this stereotype, in America, that says all blondes are ditzy or dumbasses," I explained, totally detached from the conversation. "Except for one of Brittany's aunts, who's a doctor, and obviously blonde."

To explain to you just how detached I was to what I was saying, and how I was saying it, let me tell you that I didn't notice when Tamaki drifted to the nearest corner. He sat with his back to the entire store, knees drawn up to his chest, and head hung low. Nor was I aware that he was hurt by my words, for I had forgotten what I had said the second after I had said it.

For some reason, maybe because I was too focused on the books, I grabbed a copy of  _Misery_ and half followed Tamaki to the corner of the store. I sat in a comfortable chair in between a wooden table and Tamaki seated in the corner.

Minutes passed, and Tamaki stayed in his corner while I flipped through a familiar book, rereading my favorite parts, including the ending. After quite a while, i grew bored and stood up, grabbing Tamaki's attention.

:Whatever's wrong with you right now can be fixed with food, so let's go," I stated. He stood up reluctantly, giving me a look I couldn't describe. "Let's go to Wendy's."

Tamaki frowned, confusion written all over his handsome face, "Who's Wendy?" I stared at him, unblinking and unbelieving this was happening.

"It's a fast food restaurant, not a person, Tamaki. Come on," I said grabbing his hand. We walked straight to the restaurant, only stopping to pay for my book,  _Misery_.

Once there, I let go of Tamaki's hand, and had him stand away from the counter so he could decide what to order. I waited for his decision, eventually watching over ten customers ordering, paying, and getting their food and drinks.

I groaned loudly, "Pick something, Tamaki!"

"I can't read what they serve!" He defended himself.

"Cheeseburgers, chicken fingers, chicken sandwich....." I listed. I noticed the look on his face. "Do they not have fast food in Japan?"

"If they do, I've never really had any," the blonde commented offhandedly, his purple orbs still trying to unlock the menu's mysteries. Most of the employees were looking at us now, for there wasn't a line anymore.

"Do you even know what I'm saying? Do they have different names for food like this?" I questioned, growing more irritated by the second. He shrugged, and I huffed impatiently. "Pick something!" I hollered.

Now, the staff in the front half of the kitchen and most of the customers were looking at us. I snorted, crossing my arms. "He's visiting from another country and has never been here bore. Move along, nothing to see here."

Most turned away, probably from New York City, and others pretended to divert their attention away, but were still looking at us. I huffed again, turning to my companion.

"Can I just pick something for us to share, Tamaki?" He nodded, looking away from the menu. I smiled in relief, stepping up to the counter to order our food.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review, comment, ask questions, I'd love to here from everyone and anyone. Also there'll be a shout out in the next chapter for whoever can guess what's wrong with Brittany!
> 
> -Crystal


	3. Our Airplane Adventure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last time:  
> "I ignored the problem for the rest of the night, but something told in the back of my ind told me it wasn't strep throat, or a cold."
> 
> "She [Brittany] was hunched over the toilet, looking a bit paler than usual."
> 
> "Oh, and, please don't throw up in my bathroom again," I said.
> 
> "I gasped a couple of times, than burst into a terrible coughing fir where I felt like I was going to barf up a lung."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since no one has figured out yet what's up with Brittany, that question still stands. Think you know? Feel free to leave a comment and the next chapter will be dedicated to you!
> 
> And now the trickier question: what's wrong with Sam? Read this chapter and leave your best guess in the reviews. This one's harder to guess, so I'll be asking for chapters to come until the reveal.
> 
> Plus, the next chapter will have the rest of the Host Club in it, as for far, we've only seen the gem that is Tamaki Suoh.
> 
> -Crystal

"When does the plane take off again?" Emily asked, groaning from how sleep deprived she was.

I threw myself down on to the couch next to her. "In about three hours, just like five minutes ago," I answered. "Please stop asking, Em. I'm just as tired and impatient as you."

Brittany smiled, sitting down between us. She poked my shoulder, causing me to sway. We all looked up as Mackenzie walked closer with four steaming cups.

"Tea or hot chocolate?" I asked as my friend handed me a cup.

"Tea," she replied. I grinned brightly, snuggling up against the arm of the couch with my cup of hot tea. Mackenzie handed out the rest of the cups, announcing them all to contain hot tea.

"So, to recap for the millionth time, we're flying couch, and Tamaki and his dad are flying first class," I said, giving Kenz a sly grin. She rolled her eyes, a slight blush dusting her cheeks.

"Yep, just for Mackenzie's knowledge, right?" Brittany asked. I nodded, bumping shoulders with Mackenzie. "So, your date ended badly?"

I frowned. "What? No. It was..... okay, I guess you could say. We went to Barnes & Noble, I got a book, and then we went to Wendy's."

"Oh that's why he asked who Wendy was! I forgot you mentioned that part," Emily exclaimed, giggling a little. I snorted, remembering his confusion when I had mentioned the restaurant.

"He actually asked that?" Mackenzie asked, surprised. I nodded, and we all broke out into peals of laughter.

"And, he seemed appalled when I ate more than him. I got him chicken nuggets and fries, and I got myself two double cheeseburgers and a large drink," I told them. "Plus, I ended up eating his fries."

"What were you, starving?" Brittany teased.

"Well, the night before, someone stole all the popcorn," I replied. She blushed, and fell silent, shame crossing her face. I bit my lip as everyone else fell silent, and suddenly, we were surrounded by a noisy airport with adults and a few vacationing families swarming around.

I picked at the gold nail polish leftover from the ball, frowning as I concentrated on chipping it away. My mom had informed me early that morning that the academy had a dress code, and every girl must wear an ugly, yellow-colored dress that was modest, but showed off your curves anyway. It was the one thing I hated most. Maybe I could convince the head master to allow me to wear the boy's uniform.

I took a deep breath in, making a face and rubbing at me chest. The pain had been constant for a day or two now, and got worse every time I breathed deeply.

My stomach distracted us all from our separate thoughts, erupting noisily and growling like a bunch of lions. I held my grumbling, rumbling tummy, smiling sheepishly as I looked at my friends.

"You really are hungry," Mackenzie stated. "Did you eat some breakfast before meeting us here, Sam?"

I shook my head. "You know I like to sleep in as much as possible, and besides, I wasn't hungry."

"I thought you woke up at six this morning," Brittany commented.

I nodded, then shrugged. "Like I said before, I wasn't hungry."

"You're not doing something similar to Brit, are you?" Emily asked me.

"No, I just wasn't hungry this morning. You know, every once and awhile, you just aren't in the mood for eating, or you just feel too lazy to eat, or something?" My friends nodded. I snapped my fingers. "It's like that. Just a one time thing. No need for concern."

Mackenzie raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Brittany shifted around in her spot on the couch. We were coming as close to her problem as any of us dared. To say it out loud would just confirm that something was seriously wrong. She had promised to keep it to a minimum (whatever that meant, I have no idea), but her word wasn't enough, so at least one of us supervised her during all meals, and after meals.

Emily stared at the coffee cup in her hands, fiddling with the cover to keep herself entertained for a couple of seconds. I stood up, gaining everyone's attention.

"Well, if no one else is hungry, I'll just be getting some food," I stated. I took several steps forward, and then half turned back to my friends. "You sure you don't want to come with?"

Mackenzie saw my hesitation first, gesturing for our other two friends to wait with the bags. I smiled gratefully, telling Mackenzie what I wanted as we walked to the nearest Taco Bell.

 

(######)

 

The plane ride turned out fine. If you could say that at all.

I sat by myself, next to the window, with an empty seat on my left and a business man to the left of that.

The man had fallen asleep after they served lunch, and I was currently watching all the bathrooms for any sign of Brittany. There was no sign, so I searched for her seat instead.

Spotting an empty seat next to the brunette, I headed over and plopped down. She looked up from picking at her food, coming face to face with my motherly glare.

"Are you going to eat, or not?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"I'm getting there. Don't rush me," she snapped. I huffed, ignoring the pain shooting up my throat. It must have been visible on my face, however, for she asked, "What's wrong?"

 _Damn, she noticed,_ I thought. I shifted in the seat, suddenly feeling sick and hot at the same time.

"Sam, you look green. Are you going to throw up?" Brittany asked, concerned and forgoing her food for me. I tried to wave her off, blindly smacking her hand away. "Mackenzie? Emily? Something's wrong with Sam. She looks sick."

Mackenzie and Emily turned (their seats were in front of Brittany's), immediately worried about me too. I ignored them all, finding it difficult to breathe all of a sudden.

I stood quickly, grasping at my shirt collar, and staggered toward the back. A stewardess came towards me like a concerned parent, asking all kinds of questions, but I couldn't seem to hear them.  Pushing past the woman, I finally made it to the bathroom.

By this time, my chest was burning from the pain, my vision was turning blue and fuzzy, and I'm pretty sure I was beginning to turn purple. Worst of all, I still couldn't breathe; not even a small breath of air. It's almost like my throat had closed up.

I locked the door, and hunched over the sink, listening to my friends plead that I let them in.

"Sam!" There was banging on the door, but it was distant, and so, I ignored it. After that, everything turned slowly to black.

The next thing I remember, was sitting on the floor finally able to breathe. There was a bloody mess in the sink and on the floor. I shrunk away from it, the acidic smell burning my nostrils.

It looked like vomit, but had blood mixed in, and I shakily stood to make sure there was none on me.

Once I was sure there was not a speck on me, I set to work cleaning up the mess. The banging on the door had subsided, though I didn't recall ever hearing anything. It wasn't long before I was done, and though the floor had an extremely faint red mark now, I disregarded it, knowing that was as good as I was able to clean it without proper tools.

I slipped out of the bathroom, not seeing any of my friends surrounding the door. Quickly, and as quietly as a mouse, I crept back to my seat. I got settled in, pretending to fall asleep so none of my friends could ask what had happened.

 

(######)

 

I managed to avoid confrontation all throughout the search for our luggage at the baggage claim, and the awkward limo ride with Tamaki and his father to their house.

Mainly because my friends knew I always felt exposed when confronted about things in front of anybody. I thanked whoever's up there, that I got more time to sort everything I remembered out.

I expected them come in before unpacking their things, and I turned out to be right. All three of them came barreling in, Brittany slamming the door behind her. I was seated on a plush bed, holding the pillow I had brought along.

"Explain. Now," Brittany commanded. I shrugged.

"There's not much to explain," I said. "I don't know what came over me, and I fainted after I locked myself in the bathroom."

"Did anything unusual happen?" Brittany questioned.

"No. I woke up to find the floor covered in throw up, cleaned it up, and then took a nap for the rest of the plane ride," I told them all. "Why are you so suspicious?" I asked as innocently as I could.

"Well, before we got on the plane, you were wheezing pretty hard from all the running we did," Emily pointed out.

"Then maybe I have asthma. I don't know!" I sighed, burying my head in the pillow for a minute or two. "I guess I could go to the doctor and get it checked."

"Do you want us to come with you?" Mackenzie asked.

I shook my head after pretending to think about. "I promise to tell you what's wrong, but I think it would be best if I go alone. I doubt it'll take long anyway," I explained. They looked reluctant, but let it slide, probably saving it for later.

"Now, out," I told them. "We all have unpacking to do. We only get one day to ourselves before school starts."

We groaned, overlapping complainants about school, the work, meeting new people, and made a few wonderings about the teachers and possible clubs they'd have at Ouran Academy. At this point, I mentioned the Host Club Tamaki had told me about, and we all laughed at the thought.

Instead of unpacking, we spent the next few hours talking and joking around. At one point, we got so bored, I began to play music from my phone and we were dancing in no time. Several servants came to check on us, and others came to see what all the commotion was, but we were too busy to acknowledge that other people were concerned about us.

We ended up crashing on my bed and the floor from exhaustion, missing dinner. The music still played as we snoozed.

None of us thought that things would ultimately take a dive into the river of Bad Luck, for this was the last time we spent together before it all fell to ruins.


	4. First Days and New People

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last time:   
> "I took a deep breath in, making a face and rubbing at my chest. The pain had been constant for a day or two now, and got worse every time I breathed deeply."
> 
> "Sam, you look green. Are you going to throw up?" Brittany asked.
> 
> "It looked like vomit, but had blood mixed in...."
> 
> "I guess I could go to the doctor and get it checked."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The question of what's wrong with both Brittany and Sam remains unanswered, so if anyone had any guesses, leave a guess in the reviews. Hope you all enjoy the latest update of this lovey story.
> 
> Please leave comments, questions, complaints, etc. I'd love to hear from you about your thoughts on this chapter, and let me know if I wrote any of the Host Club members wrong. Thx!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Host Club members. Just my OCs - Sam, Emily, Brittany, and Mackenzie - and the plot.

Like back in America, I sat, bored throughout the entire day, in the back of the classroom with my friends. I noticed Tamaki sitting with a boy with glasses and dark hair, but didn't care enough to have my fiance introduce us.

At the end of the day, Tamaki escorted us to the Host Club's meeting place after breaking off from the boy. As the door opened, petals swirled out, and I smacked them away, scrunching my nose up.

We were faced with about six waiting boys. No, scratch that, five boys and one girl dressed as a boy. Either that, or this guy looked too feminine to be a guy.

I peered at a tall, stoic boy standing near a hyper blond from under my bangs, looking away when he turned his emotionless gaze to me. Brittany elbowed me, and I turned to see her subtly gesturing to a familiar boy with ebony hair and glasses.

"That's Kyoya Ootori," she whispered. My eyes widened, and I bit my lip. "I didn't notice him in our class because he never turned around."

"Brittany, so good to see you again," Kyoya said, looking up from his laptop. He stood, made his way over to her, and kissed her hand politely. "My father informed me of your arrival," he explained.

"I figured he would. How have you been?" Brittany asked, attempting to start a conversation.

"Kyoya, how do you know Brittany?" Tamaki asked, tilting his head in confusion.

"We're engaged," Brittany said simply. My friends and I all laughed, glancing at each other and the surprised faces in front of us.

"Forget Renge," A tall boy with ginger hair stated.

"Kyoya-senpai was engaged to an American all along," another boy finished, identical to the other. I would later find out they were the Hitachiin twins, and they were two weird people.

"How come you never told anyone?" The girl, or guy with feminine features, asked. I still couldn't tell, ad it was bugging me.

"There would be nothing to benefit from it if I told you," was the casual reply.

My eyes narrowed at him, taking it as an insult. "Excuse me?" I ground out. Brittany placed a hand on my shoulder, calming me down quickly, but I stole a second to glare in Kyoya's general direction.

"Are we going to introduce ourselves?" Mackenzie asked, glancing around at all the different faces. I nodded in agreement, and turned my attention to the hyper blond walking toward me with a stuffed bunny in hand.

"Who wants to go first?" Emily asked, as she tended to become shy around new people. There was a small span of silence where almost everyone shifted around, looking at the other party. I brushed my bangs out of my eyes, tilting my head to the side.

"Well, you're all aware of my name; Brittany, if you didn't catch it the first few times," Brittany began, gaining everyone's attention. "The tall one is Mackenzie, Emily's the one with the short hair, and the red head is Tamaki's new fiance, Sam."

"That information should not be shared with anyone outside this room." Kyoya spoke suddenly, looking right at me as he said it.

"And why is that?" I asked. Before he could respond, I realized the answer. "It's because of his customers, isn't it?" The boy nodded, and I shrugged, making my indifference clear. He took it as agreement.

"So, Tamaki, who's the crew?" I asked the blond, turning to him. He blinked at me, looking slightly confused for a second before his mind registered what I had said. I definitely should have reworded that before speaking. Or maybe I had been talking too fast again. I tend to do that when social situations came up. Embarrassing really, but nothing I could help.

The small blonde boy ran forward, and as a reflex from having a younger sister, I held my arms out for balance in case he ran at me. However, he stopped short, standing right in front of me with his bunny in his hands.

"I'm Mitsukuni Haninozuka!" He introduced, looking up at me with bright eyes. "And this is Usa-chan!" He held up the bunny to emphasize who he was referring to. I grinned sheepishly.

"I regret to say I don't think any of us will be able to pronounce your name," I told him.

He kept grinning at me. "That's okay! Call me Honey!" Then he ran and leapt into the arms of the tall stoic ebony I kept stealing glances at. "This is Takashi!" He jumped down and leapt onto the back of the unsuspecting brunette with the wide brown eyes, the one I couldn't tell if they were male or female.

"This is Haru-chan!" I rushed forward, grabbing hold of their hands to prevent them from tipping over.

"It's actually Haruhi," they said, and I made my decision of their gender to be that of a girl. She blushed when she glanced down at our intertwined hands, ad I smiled at her in return.

When I was sure she wasn't going to fall, I let go of her hands, and took a few steps back. Her face was still flushed, but she focused on setting Honey down gently instead of me. I could tell she was avoiding my gaze, and I shook my head to clear my thoughts before I made her even more uncomfortable.

I stepped back even farther, standing back at Emily's side now, and drew my eyes away from Haruhi.

"We're the Hitachiin twins, Hikaru and Kaoru," the twins spoke up, smirking. They each stood with a long arm around the other; one had an arm around the other's waist and the other had an arm around the one's shoulders. "But, which one's Hikaru and which one's Kaoru?" They chanted.

Emily paled, Mackenzie and Brittany's eyes widened, and I just stood there, blinking, unbelieving. "H-Hikaru Hitachiin?" Emily stuttered. I rubbed circles on her back as she looked a little green. "Oh god...."

The twins grew serious, for once since we had entered, neither looked cocky or had a mischievous grin on their face. One of them furrowed their brow at my shaky friend, while the other glanced between the two, seemingly getting an uneasy feeling about what was to be revealed.

"M-My parents told me I was engaged to a Hikaru Hitachiin, who attended Ouran with his brother," Em explained, now looking apologetic. She tried to make herself seem smaller out of habit. I cursed her abusive exes, and stepped slightly in front of her, just enough so she won't get hurt but could still see the twins.

I saw Kyoya noticing my stance, and figured he could see right through it. He could probably figure it out in the next day or two just by studying my behavior around her and boys. He looked to be the type to catch on quickly.

One twin, who was obviously Hikaru, detached himself from his brother, looking as uncomfortable as Emily looked. "Our parents did mention an engagement, but they never said who I would be marrying," he said slowly, watching her reaction carefully.

Her response was shaken anger. "My parents didn't even tell me I was engaged until I asked to go to Japan with Sam!" I continued rubbing slow circles on her back, but calming her down took longer than it usually did.

"We have less than fifteen minutes until the club opens," Kyoya spoke up. I turned to him, glaring at his bowed head.

"Seriously?!" I fumed. he looked up at me, expression calm, like always it seemed. "My friend is having a mini breakdown. She might be close to tears, and you bring that up right now!?"

"She's welcome to head to the back if she begins to cry, but we're not shutting down for one day because of it," the ebony explained.

I scowled at him, my hands clenching into fists. "I hope you choke on those flying rose petals when those girls walk in," I growled at him. Brittany steered me to a curtain in the back (the one Kyoya had mentioned), and Emily and Mackenzie followed.

I sank into one of the chairs, and Mackenzie sat Emily in another, handing her a box of tissues. I silently fumed as Brittany watched and Emily dabbed at her eyes.

"That boy is emotionless," I grumbled. "And I have a headache."

"He's not so bad, Sam. Can't you try to get along with him?" Brittany asked. "We haven't been here that long, and already you're fighting with someone."

"I can't help it," I said back, rubbing my temples. "He doesn't like me either, and besides, I only don't like him because he's your fiance and you can do better."

Brittany cracked a smile, then checked her watch. "It's almost time for the club to open." She turned to Emily, who was already calming back down, and to Mackenzie, who had stopped feeding her tissues. "Kyoya told me that we can stay, as long as we act like normal customers."

"Ooh, Kenz, you can go talk to Tamaki," Emily teased, causing Mackenzie to blush.

"If it's okay with Sam, of course," she said, smiling shyly. I nodded, a smile on my own face.

"Totally. I don't mind. Besides, I'm cool with just chilling right here," I stated. "I'll get to know them all some other time."

The girls all nodded, and filed out when we began to hear girls' chatter. i stayed, closing my eyes for a minute or two.

Then, I glanced around, bored already, headache getting worse, and debating what to do. After only two minutes, I came to my decision, grabbing the strap of my bag, and hurrying out. No one followed me, so I figured they hadn't noticed my departure.

I felt fatigue as I walked across the courtyard and toward the gates, but I didn't get very far. A tall boy, most likely in his 3rd or 2nd year, threw an arm around my shoulders, leaning close to me as I came to a halt.

"Hey, what's the rush?" He asked smoothly, and I could feel his lazy smirk against my cheek. "Must be going somewhere important."

I refrained from tensing up, relaxing instead, almost like I was inviting the boy to try something. "Actually, no. I'm not in a hurry," I stated, taking several steps forward. The boy pulled me back, and I scowled at his smug face.

"Then, how about we hang out for a while? Get to know each other better?" The boy asked. He brushed his lips against my jaw, and that action broke me. I pushed at his chest, stronger than either of us thought.

My scowl intensified, and my hands clenched into fists.  _Seems like I was doing that a lot today._ "Stay away from me, or else," I growled out. The boy chuckled, and my fists clenched tighter. "I left America hoping not to run into people like you."

"Good-looking gentleman trying to help a lady out?" The boy asked cockily. I narrowed my eyes at him, and straightened, so I looked taller. I smiled so sweetly, it turned dark.

"Sure, because you  ** _definitely_**  fall into that category," I stated sarcastically, taking the time to roll my eyes at him. his hands clenched into fists at the comment.

The boy threw a punch at my face, not thinking I would react quickly enough. Instead I sidestepped and grabbed hold of his wrist, bending his hand back in one fluid motion. a loud crack was heard, and I kneed him in the stomach before fleeing school grounds.

"Get that bitch!"

Heavy and fast footsteps sounded behind me, and I held on to my bag as I tried my hardest to breath. Running had been a stupid idea, but I couldn't exactly stop, seeing as I would get beat up.

Deciding to get this over with, I turned into an alley, standing firmly in front of five or six beefy guys, all looking angry. The tall, lanky guy, whose wrist I had broken, stood at the very back, looking at me like he would be satisfied with my death. I assumed he was the leader of whatever gang I found myself surrounded by.

"Nowhere to run now," the leader spoke, cruel delight dancing in his eyes.

"That was the idea," I lied smoothly. The leader scoffed, as if he could see straight through my lie, but looked a little skeptical when he remembered his injury. I stood, going through with my lie, and looking ready for a fight.

I could even ask a doctor what might be wrong with me if I ended up in the hospital. t would get one thing off my to-do-list. I chuckled quietly,  _any positive thought I have is always morbid._

"What are you laughing at, girl?" One of the boys asked, sneering at me.

I rolled my eyes and scoffed at his idiocy. "How much of an idiot you all are." Everyone could hear the  ** _duh_** implied at the end of my sentence, and the reaction amongst the boys was expected.

Say and think what you want, but I can never refrain from making comments like that. Even when I know it means getting myself into deeper trouble. One of the perks of being me, I guess.

Though I looked distracted on the outside, this was, lucky for me, one of the times I actually was paying attention to my surroundings, so when the first fist came at me, I managed to dodge it. My sharp elbow connected with the guy's ear, and I pushed him to the side.

The next guy tackled me from the front, using his comrade's injury to his advantage, as I was distracted from the other's actions. My head banged on the wall behind me, leaving me dizzy and my vision swimming.

I took several hits to the ribs and stomach, and was about to take one to the face when the guy on top of me was tossed away.....


	5. New Perspectives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last time:   
> "M-My parents tole me I was engaged to a Hikaru Hitachiin, who attended Ouran with his brother," Em explained, now looking apologetic.
> 
> "I cursed her abusive exes, and stepped slightly in front of her...."
> 
> "I scowled at him [Kyoya], my hands clenched into fists. "I hope you choke on those flying rose petals when those girls walk in," I growled at him.
> 
> "I took several hits to the ribs and stomach, and was about to take one to the face when the guy on top of me was tossed away...."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the question of what's wrong with Brittany is still up in the air, though it might remain that way if no one guesses. (I honestly don't remember if it's ever mentioned). Also, the question is still up for what illness Sam has, and we're getting closer to knowing, so stay tuned for that. (Of course, if you know and you leave a comment about it, you will got a shoutout and dedication in the chapter).
> 
> Leave a comment, question, or even a criticism or complaint. I'm always open to hearing your feedback, for your feedback is important to me and the story. :)
> 
> Disclaimer: Still don't own any of the Host club members. Last I checked, at least.

My head banged on the wall behind me, leaving me dizzy and my vision swimming.

I took several hits to the ribs and stomach, and was about to take one to the face when the guy on top of me was tossed away.

I blinked stupidly at the tall ebony as he threw the guy away. I recognized him as one of the boys from the Host Club, the one Honey had introduced as Takashi. At least this proved to me of the low possibility of me having a concussion.

With that in mind, have I mentioned how I don't play sports, am not training to be a doctor, and that this was the first fight I'd ever been in? So, me saying I don't think I have a concussion, isn't something even I would believe. I was definitely going to a hospital after this.

Of course, my thoughts were a little fuzzy, but I was most likely exaggerating the pain. I swayed on my feet. Or, not.

As Takashi became the center of attention, I pressed the heel of my hand to the right side of my head and it came back bloody.

"Ah, Takashi, can you hurry? I'm sort of bleeding," I asked, staring at my hand. He didn't answer, too busy with keeping the gang's attention on him, but I sensed he had heard me.

When next I looked up, Takashi was walking toward me, and he was alone. We were alone in the alley, but I decided not to concentrate on that.

The boy grabbed my arm gently, peering at my head injury before guiding me along. He said nothing as he led me down several streets, and when the hospital came into view, he switched hands to put one arm around my shoulders.

But don't read too much into it, my knees had gone shaky, and I was beginning to stumble as I walked because my head was still bleeding. Not as much, but still bleeding.

"The Ootori's don't work here," he mumbled.

"What?" I asked, blinking to clear some fuzziness from my vision. Takashi didn't reply, but was so kind as to stay with me after we entered the hospital.

Before this, I had never been to a hospital as a patient, so I wasn't sure how long we were going to wait, but when Takashi mentioned my head injury, we were next in line to see a doctor. Right after a pregnant woman who I vaguely recall saying congrats to. Her response eludes me, but that's not important.

 

(######)

 

"Alright, well, you eyesight is good, your memory seems to be the same, and you're good with balance, despite being a little shaky, which is just from the multiple blows you took," the doctor reported. "Your head injury just appears to be a cut, and there appears to be no signs of internal bleeding, though we may consider running a CAT scan just to be sure."

"That sounds good," I replied. "I think we should do a CAT scan, and after, is it possible to run some other tests?"

"Such as?" He promoted me to continue.

I glanced warily at Takashi, and sighed, turning my eyes down to my feet swinging back and forth. "A blood test, and a, um..... chest X-Ray," I admitted. "The sooner, the better."

"May I ask why you want us to run these tests?" The man asked, tucking the clipboard he held under one arm.

"i was supposed to ask for them at my doctor back in America. It's a routine they do in our area," I said,  hoping he'd go with it. "There have been quite a lot of people with cancer where we live whose condition went unnoticed, so the tests became mandatory." The last part was only a half lie, surprisingly, though my doctor's office had never run those tests as routine.

The doctor nodded, making a note on his clipboard. "In that case, you may wait here while I go see what we can do. How soon would you prefer?"

"Now, if possible, as I would like to get it out of the way." I turned to the ebony, who had been sitting quietly in the same seat for the better of twenty minutes. "You can go now, Takashi, I'll be fine. Plus, I have a feeling Kyoya will kill me for keeping you," I told him. The doctor left silently, and Takashi nodded, standing.

"Call me Mori," he grunted. I smiled at him, resisting the urge to scratch the bandage wrapped around my head. It was starting to bother me.

Mori must have noticed this, for he stepped forward to grab my straying hand. Clasping it, he looked at me, telling me without moving his lips that scratching the band-aid was a bad idea. I nodded, the corners of my lips twitching up to form a thankful smile.

He nodded once, a small grunt coming from him, and he dropped my hand quickly, heading for the door. I watched his back as he left, frowning in anxious thought.

 _Was that really a good idea?_ I wondered, biting my lip and absentmindedly playing with the loose strings on my jeans.  _Maybe I shouldn't have said anything. Or maybe he might think the worst. Though I doubt he would tell the girls about it._

 

(######)  
   (Flashback: Sam's POV)

 

I had wandered away from the main area of the bridal shower I was suppose to be attending, grown bored from the lack of attending girls my age. My mother had been too busy chatting with the bride and her friends to notice my exit, and for that I was happy.

The building itself wasn't that big, but it was fun to slip in and out of different parties. So far I had crashed a Sweet Sixteen, a bat mitzvah, and a second bridal shower. One of the waiters had actually offered me some champagne, to which I agreed, but I only took three sips before realizing I didn't like it.

After that, I set down the glass and ducked out of there. Now, I was roaming the halls for the second time, hearing the booming music as I passed the Sweet Sixteen party. I stopped short, scrunching my eyebrows together as I frowned.

 _Is that..... yelling?_ I asked myself, looking around for the source. It was hard, as the music was covering up the sound of the shouts. Though I managed to catch a few words: idiot, moron, lousy bitch, and "better off without your fat ass".

With those words fueling my anger, I whipped around, searching for the source, and finally a door labeled Employee Only. Inching forward, I pressed an ear to the door.

"You honestly think I give a shit about you? You're just a dumb bitch holding me down!" A feminine voice came from inside. "I don't even know why I bothered to invite you to this party. No one likes you. You're nothing!"

I flung open the door, scowling at the girl in a sparkly dress that showed off way too much skin in my opinion. Another girl, this one in a simpler dress, had tears streaming down her face. Luckily, this girl had less makeup to ruin than the first girl.

"Who the hell are you?" The first girl asked rudely, and I knew she had been the one yelling.

Instead of answering, I said stiffly, "You're wrong for yelling at her. You're the bitch, not her. And you have no right to call her one."

(Emily's POV)

Kristie raged at the stranger's words. I just sat there, blinking at the person.  _How can she be sure? She doesn't even know me._

My girlfriend turned back to me, scowling heavily. "Who is this? What did you tell her, you snake," she demanded.

I stuttered to find words, but Kristie grew impatient and slapped me across the face.

"That's it," the stranger growled. She grabbed hold of Kristie's hair, yanking hard and dragging her backwards.

"Hey! Stop! Those are extensions!"

The girl growled at my girlfriend, shoving her out the door. "I don't care. You two aren't together anymore."

Hands on hips, Kristie glared at me, telling me to speak up. However, the girl caught her look, and blocked Kristie from my view.

"Bitch, stop it and move away. She's not your girlfriend anymore, and I have no doubt you'll find another to torture soon," the stranger said firmly.

There were a few more protests on Kristie's part before the girl slammed the door in her face. She turned to me, sitting down next to me and smiling softly.

"I'm Sam," she greeted, drawing her knees to her chest. I sniffed, rubbing at my eyes.

"I-I'm *HIC* Emily," I managed. She continued to smile, glancing at the door.

"I'm sorry if I read the situation wrong, but I couldn't stand how she was treating you," Sam told me. "I don't think what she said was true."

"You h-heard what she s-said?" I wiped more tears away, though my cheeks were starting to dry.

"Some of it. I don't know how long she was yelling at you, and even with what I heard, I don't believe it," she said.

Looking at her phone, she stood up, brushing off her pants, and offered me a hand up. I took it.

"I have to get back to this bridal shower, my mom will notice if I'm gone for too long," Sam explained. Then she added, "Hey, want to come with? I would enjoy the company."

I thought about it for a minute, long enough for us both to exit the small room, and I nodded. "That sounds fun. As long as I'm not intruding."

Sam barked out a short laugh. "Before this, I crashed three other parties without getting caught. I think you're fine. Come on, it's this way."

We were almost to the party room, when I stopped her short by grabbing hold of her sleeve. She looked back at me, a questioning look in her eyes.

"Are you...." I swallowed the lump in my throat. "It's a weird thing to ask a complete stranger, but, are you sure Kristie was wrong by calling me....?"

Sam understood, and shook her head violently. "Of course! She's crazy. I've only known you for less than ten minutes and I already know you're a better person than she will ever know."

 

(######)  
   (Present Day: Emily's POV)

"Tamaki, what exactly does the Host Club do? You never mentioned," I asked curiously. My eyes skipped from the tall blonde to one of the twins.

Tamaki suddenly perked up to explain the club's priorities. "The Ouran Host Club is where the school's handsomest boys with too much time on their hands entertain young ladies who also have way too much time on their hands. Just think of it as Ouran Academy's elegant playground for the super-rich and beautiful," he explained proudly, making sure to puff out his chest and lift his chin up high.

"So basically, it's a prostitution center that doesn't offer sex," Brittany simplified casually, taking a seat on one of the couches. We Americans started laughing at her remark, although the hosts looked slightly offended and Tamaki deflated. Sam raised an eyebrow at the sound the boy made, like a balloon losing air.

Haruhi blushed deeply, stammering a little. She shook her head, focusing now on her shoes. Mackenzie patted her shoulder sympathetically.

"I'm positive that's one way to look at it," Kyoya stated, writing in a peculiar black notebook. "Have you ladies been given uniforms yet?" He asked.

"They took our measurements, but we haven't been given the actual uniforms yet. But, won't we get hot wearing suits throughout the seasons?" Mackenzie asked, gesturing to their purple and black suits. We had all figured we could convince Mr. Suoh to allow us to wear the boy's uniform.

"Princess, you ladies won't be wearing suits. You'll be wearing the girl's uniform like every other girl, a dress," Tamaki explained.

"OH HELL NO!" Brittany shouted, leaping out of her seat. At the same time, I exclaimed, "What?!" and Mackenzie said, "A dress?! What!? Why?"

Sam visibly cringed, looking down at her jeans, and began to play with any and all loose threads. "I'll sound primitive by saying this, but we no like dresses," she said, clearly but softly.

"B-But it's th-the school uniform," Tamaki stuttered out, brows furrowed in his confusion. He looked disbelieving at all of us, and when his purple gaze landed briefly on me, I shrugged, looking apologetic.

"Sorry to stump on your blonde roots, Tamagotchi, but we don't wear dresses to school in America," Brittany teased, sitting down and leaning back in her seat. She crossed her arms and lifted her chin.

"Speaking of dresses, are we staying here with the girls again when the club opens?" Sam asked, sounding bored. Brittany looked over at Kyoya.

He glanced up slightly, but didn't look over at Sam when he answered her question. "You won't," he said simply.

"Um, care to elaborate?" Mackenzie asked when he didn't say anything else.

"I'm afraid to say I can't continue letting you stay when the club opens unless you plan on paying the normal rate," the ebony explained plainly. There was not a sound from Sam, though with how she felt toward Kyoya, you expected one. Surprisingly, she looked relieved instead of angry at something the boy had said.

Only a few days after our first day, and Kyoya ignored Sam unless he had to talk to her, and Sam had the tendency to make rude or sarcastic remarks at whatever the Vice President of the club said. Sam had also been avoiding Tamaki, favoring Honey and Mori instead. Whether her avoiding Tamaki was for Mackenzie's sake, or not, I couldn't tell.

If possible, I had the vague feeling that Mori was protective of Sam as well as Honey, for I noticed him standing near her in the hall between classes the way she stood by me around other people. It must have had something to do with the bandage Sam had around her head for the last day or two.

"So, how are we going to get to know all of you for the future if we aren't allowed in the club?" Brittany asked. "Can we join the club instead?"

Sam groaned, closing her eyes and muttering some curses and something along the lines of, "....almost got out."

"You'd have to provide abilities that could benefit the club if you want to join," Kyoya replied. "Do you have any abilities like that?"

Brittany thought for a moment, searching her mind. "Well, Emily is a chef, which is useful and may reduce money the club is spending."

I blushed, a small smile on my lips. My friends were always talking about my cooking skills. It really was no big thing, cooking ran in my family. It was how we became rich in the first place.

"Brittany could be a host," Sam spoke up, studying Kyoya's face. Probably looking for a reaction. "I've noticed several of the guys around here giving her once-overs."

Brittany whipped around to face the red head, eyebrows raised to show her curiosity. "Really? Which ones?"

Sam shrugged, now looking at the ceiling. She did that often, it meant she was thinking hard, trying to remember. "Um, I don't remember exactly, but I feel like most of them were 1st or 3rd years, and some had girls near them, so one could assume the boys are dating," Sam replied slowly. She tilted her head, then nodded. "Yeah, I think that's it."

"Actually, yeah. One of them came up to me to ask about you, Brit," Mackenzie put in. She made a face. "He asked some really weird things, but he sounded interested."

"Was he built like a swimmer, and had a cast on one wrist?" Mackenzie nodded, and Sam scrunched her nose up. "Avoid him. He's a rat," Sam commented. "Tried to get at me."

My eyes widened, and I got up to sit next to her, holding my arms out for a hug. She obliged, and I cooed, "Oh, honey."

She withdrew, and smiled. "I'm fine. I broke his wrist." I smiled, chuckling a little.

"Emily will need to prove her skills, of course, but I don't believe it is a good idea to allow Brittany to become a host," the steely ebony said.

Sam rolled her eyes. "Definitely not. She's not going to be a host. She could be a hostess. Tamaki's told us about the different types you have here, and Brittany could be the feisty type. She can pull it off."

"And it'll bring more customers in," I added. "Which will bring more money in."

Kyoya raised an eyebrow at Sam and I, knowing what we were trying to coax him into doing. Though I could tell that we were pulling all the right strings. He glanced at Brittany before turning his eyes to the tallest of the group.

"What about you?" He asked. Mackenzie blinked, frowning in thought.

"I'm not too sure. I mean, there's not much I could contribute unless the girls are willing to pose for drawings," she replied, continuing to think about it. Kyoya, looking unimpressed, reluctantly turned to Sam.

"Singing," she responded. The whole room was silent, most of its occupants uncomfortably watching for any signs of life between Sam and Kyoya.

The ebony looked away first, like always it seemed, and went back to his notebook. Red hair fell as Sam tilted her head to the side, staring at the floor now.

"Come, princess," Tamaki said to Kenz, offering his arm out to her. "I think it best to use this time to show you around the grounds." He smiled, brushing his bangs out of his eyes with a flick of his head.

Mackenzie blushed slightly, but scoffed, giving him a look. She took his offered arm, and stood, leaning close to whisper, "Is that okay with Kyoya?"

Tamaki brushed the question aside. "It won't take us long. I only want to show you the cherry trees. The produce wonderful blossoms."

They headed towards the doors. "Um, but it's November, Tamaki," Mackenzie reminded him. Brittany and I tried to stifle our giggles at Tamaki's fallen face. Mackenzie bit her lip. "Actually, let's take a walk. I'm sure there'll be something wonderful to look at."

She led the blonde out of the room, waving to us from over her shoulder before they walked out of sight.

Kyoya turned to Sam, face buried in his notebook. "Are you aware of any talents other than singing you might have that would benefit the club, Samantha?" He asked her.

She frowned at him. "Are you aware that you're a creep who should mind his own?" She asked him. Kyoya's glasses flashed as he lifted his head slightly to look at her, but she just stared right back at him. "And it's Sam, not Samantha. Which you should know since you can't keep to your own. Also, you should know that I play piano and I know some songs on the guitar."

I could feel the air growing heavier as they glared at each other: Sam from her seated position and Kyoya standing over her. It suddenly felt very stuffy in the room, and I quietly excused myself. Not that either was paying attention to me.

It was almost like they were trying to find out the other's secrets by stealing the other's soul. Little did they realize that neither of them really had one. Maybe that's why they clashed, because they were so similar.


	6. Synchronization

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Next time:   
> "You got four boxes of movies, and you only let him watch one musical?" Brittany asked, glaring at Sam.
> 
> "Brittany, I'm not one for games or rides. Would you mind joining me for a stroll around the faire?" Kyoya addressed his fiance.
> 
> "Hikaru took notice of the growing attraction between his brother and his fiance as they continues talking."
> 
> "The moon and stars were out that night, and only a few clouds drifting by, obstructed the view."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: There are mentions of past cutting and a past car crash in this chapter! If anyone wishes to skip either, those parts are marked with (Flashback), so feel free to skip over those parts. Also, like the tags say bad decision making on an OC's part (which is Sam), and so, for those who do read the triggering parts, caution for there is, maybe, unhealthy handling of said cutting. I love you all, and please be safe!
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Haruhi or any of the other Host Club members, and I am not gaining any profit from this. Other than that, enjoy!!

   (Flashback: Emily's POV)

I sighed, looking around the crowded lunch hall again with my lunch in hand. Though I tried, I couldn't seem to find Sam in the mix, and that led me to finding another spot for lunch. However, the tables outside were also filled, and I was forced to continue looking.

The sound of quiet crying reached my ears as I drew closer to the back of the school. Rounding a corner, I found a brown-haired girl leaning against the brick wall with a razor lying not too far away.

"Hey," I soothed, coming closer. My lunch forgotten, I kneeled down next to the girl. She looked up at me through tendrils of dark hair and tears blurring in her eyes. "You okay? What happened? Do you need a nurse?"

"J-just some bullies. It's no big deal," the girl said, sniffling. She moved her arms slightly, unknowingly showing me the fresh cuts on the inside of her arms, some bleeding just a little.

"If they made you do this," I gestured to her arms, "then it's a big deal."

She glared slightly. "Why do you care?" It came out harsh, but I brushed it off.

"Because I'm always concerned when people hurt themselves," I replied. "Cutting isn't healthy, and it can get out of hand if you're not careful."

"Hey, Em!"

   (Brittany's POV)

The short haired girl and I turned towards the voice, seeing a red head jogging up to us, the smile on her face fading to be replaced with outright concern.

"What happened? Who did this?" The red head demanded, already looking around.

"Bullies," Em replied, helping me stand.

"You're Brittany, right? You're in my math and gym class," the red head asked me. I nodded, carefully rubbing my eyes dry. The girl noticed my arms, and then looked around, soon spotting the razor.

"We won't take you to the nurse, but we will help bandage those cuts. But, we'll need all your razors and any other sharp objects," she instructed.

"What? I'm not doing that. I don't know either of you. How can you trust you?" I said, my eyebrows furrowing.

"I'm Emily, and this is Sam, and we're only trying to help," Em explained kindly. Sam nodded distractedly, still looking around, presumably for the bullies that had been picking on me.

"We'll deal with the bullies later, Brit. Whatever they said to you, they're wrong and stupid, and they don't know what they're talking about," Sam insisted. "Now, come on, I think I can manage to steal some supplies from the nurse's office."

 

(######)  
   (Present Day: Brittany's POV)

Sam was the last to climb in the limo, and she looked irritated as she slammed the door shut. At the sound of the car door closing, the chauffeur began to drive.

I leaned across Mackenzie's lap, poking the red head's knee. She blinked at me, seeming to remember we were in the car.

"Was he giving you a hard time? You don't look so good," Kenz asked, looking over Sam with concern.

"No, of course not. He was just bugging me about my movie collection." Sam brushed Mackenzie's statement aside. "He was insisting I let him watch some while we're out, and I had a hard time distracting him from the topic, but eventually he agreed to only watch one. Especially after the look I gave him."

"Your signature death glare?" I smiled, gesturing for Sam to give me a high five. She obliged, but quickly withdrew to retrieve a handkerchief to cover her mouth as rough coughs shook her whole body.

The driver announced our arrival, distracting any of us from asking Sam if she was okay. We all clamored out, and I noticed Sam glance into her handkerchief before folding it and shoving it back into her pocket.

Mackenzie hurried ahead of the rest of us, knocking on the door after double-checking it was the one Tamaki had directed us to.

Haruhi peeked her head around the door as she opened it, surprised when she saw us standing in her doorway.

"Tamaki sent us," I explained. "Said something about you needing to spend time with other girls?" I shrugged, indicating I wasn't entirely sure on what we were doing there.

Sam cleared her throat rather harshly, but pretended it didn't sound as bad as it actually did. "They're setting up a festival some blocks away. I'll bet whoever's in charge will have no problem if we walk around there," she suggested, her voice a little hoarse.

"Alright," Haruhi agreed. She grabbed her coat and keys, shutting and locking the door behind her.

We began walking toward the large park where we had seen a festival of some sorts being set up, passing a small restaurant. Sam told us she was going to grab a cup of water real quick when she spotted the building.

As we entered the faire grounds, Sam caught up with us, finishing off her drink and tossing the cup into the nearest trash can. She caught Haruhi watching her, and raised her eyebrows at the younger girl.

"See something you like?" She lightly teased, wiggling her eyebrows. Haruhi blushed, and shook her head.

"I was just trying to picture you and Tamaki together. It doesn't seem likely," Haruhi commented.

"It was arranged, which is a stupid concept, but one that I should have known my mother would approve of," Sam bitterly replied. "Tamaki's not my type."

"Yeah, he's Mackenzie's type, though," I jested. The tall blonde reached out to playfully swat at me, but I shrunk behind Emily before she could reach.

"You're one to talk," Mackenzie stated. "At least you got matched with someone you can tolerate."

"Thank God for that, because Sam can't stand Kyoya even more than she can stand Tamaki," Emily said giggling.

"Tamaki's annoying and Kyoya's, just, you know, Kyoya," Sam defended herself. "Neither flirts not Kyoyas are my type."

"Then who is your type?" Haruhi asked.

"Depends. You could be my type, Mackenzie could be my type, Mori or one of the twins could be my type. It all depends on my mood and their personality," Sam responded casually.

"I'm not your type?!" I exclaimed, clutching at my chest in mock hurt. Sam swooped back to hug me from the side.

"You're too goo for me, Brit! I'd never be able to find anyone as awesome, beautiful, and fun as you!" Sam insisted. "Don't listen to anyone who says otherwise!"

"And me? What about me?" Emily pouted. Immediately, Sam switched over to hugging Emily as we walked.

"I'll always love you. You're beautiful, smart, funny, and a really good friend," Sam told her, a sincere smile on her face. Emily thanked her, and Sam detached herself, jogging up to walk next to Haruhi.

"Emily so obviously has a crush on one of the twins, though, Sam. You have some competition," Mackenzie pointed out, causing a flush to form on Em's face and neck. Sam brushed them off.

"Since we're on the subject, is there anyone at the school you have your eye on, Haruhi?" Sam asked, smirking as she slung an arm around the younger girl's shoulders. Haruhi brushed away some of Sam's hair, which was hanging partially in the girl's face as Sam leaned over her.

"N-no," Haruhi stammered, blushing fiercely.

"I think you do!" Sam teased. She bounced on the balls of her feet as we walked. "Who is it? Girl? Boy? Non-binary? In your grade or older? Are they a customer at the Host Club? Come on, spill!" She pressed, whining out her last sentence.

I rolled my eyes at her child-like antics. "Give her space, Sam. If she doesn't wan to tell, she doesn't have to," I said.

Sam sighed heavily, ".....fine.." She slunk back a few steps, untangling her arms from Haruhi. She pouted slightly at me, and I answered by rolling my eyes at her.

"Well...." Haruhi started, causing Sam to perk up. "There is this, um, one girl I like." She said it tentatively, as if she was afraid we weren't supportive of anything except for heterosexuality.

Emily leaned forward. "Who? Does she come to the club?"

Sam smiled kindly at the short-haired brunette, and reached out to intertwine their arms together, causing Haruhi to look at her.

"You know, we're not going to judge if you like girls over guys. In fact, Em and I are both pansexual, while Kenz and Brit are straight, and we're very open-minded to all sexualities and genders," Sam explained, her smile never ceasing. Haruhi looked to all of us for confirmation, and we all nodded at her.

She blushed, looking back at Sam. "She's one of my regulars, actually. Her name's Ruri Karasuma."

"Which one is she? You seem to have a lot of regulars," Mackenzie asked, sidestepping a stray crate.

"She has dark hair, and always wears a blue ribbon in her hair," Haruhi said.

"Not much to describe, those girls all wear the school uniform, that ugly yellow dress." I smiled at an older woman setting up a stand with a variety of different foods and fish, and waved at the two kids chasing each other around the lady's stand.

"Wait!" Emily exclaimed. "I remember seeing her. She's part of the trio that rushes in as soon as Kyoya opens the doors and they spend a lot of money to talk to Haruhi."

"Oh, yeah! They all have crushes on you, Haruhi! Way to go!" Sam exclaimed, now really jumping up and down, gaining several people's attention.

"Calm down, you're not a Chihuahua," I said. "Although, keep that up, and you'll probably be able to reach the moon." Sam stuck her tongue out at me, then turned back to Haruhi.

 

(######)  
   (Flashback: Brittany's POV)

I huddled close to Sam, who put an arm around me for warmth. Sam, Emily, and I, along with the rest of our class, were standing out in the cold air, waiting for a turn to learn how to drive.

Right now, the black Cadillac was parked on the other side of the parking lot, in it, our Driver's Ed teacher sat with a new student, Mackenzie something.

I shivered, and Sam took her coat off, offering it to me. I brushed it aside, shaking my head, but she just draped it on my shoulders and crossed her arms. After waiting to see if she's take it back, I slipped the coat on, careful not to hit Em, who had half her face buried in a red, woolly scarf coiled a dozen times round her neck.

The car started with a quiet hum, and Mackenzie shot out of the parking space, scattering the class like a flock of geese, though we were supposed to be a safe distance away.

"Whoa, Johnny Rocket there's gonna kill us all if they're not careful," Sam muttered, glancing down at her feet, then back up, her eyes following the car.

"Did you just reference a restaurant?" I asked. Sam shot me a harsh,  _What do you think?_ look.

"I'm hungry," she stated flatly. I rolled my eyes at her, feeling a snowball hit Sam's jacket. I turned to confront the person, and got a face full of snow. "Hey! Don't make me come over there!" I heard Sam shout as I brushed the snow away.

A few of the bullies pretended not to notice the red head, and Emily began to try and calm her down. Sam grumpily turned away from the group, but only after she had shouted some choice words at them.

With a roar of the engine and a screech of the accelerating tires, we were all just in time to see the car crash into the side of the building head on. The three of us rushed over, Sam pushing past the spectators.

"Don't just stand there! Someone call 911! Notify the principal!" I shouted, using my famous  _duh_ tone.

Sam pulled the driver's side door open, while Emily and I worked on the passenger door, which seemed to be sealed shut. Our teacher, Mrs. Witt, was no help as she struggled to open the door from the inside.

"Mackenzie, can you hear me? Where does it hurt? No no, don't move, just tell me where it hurts," Sam instructed gently. Finally, I got the door open, causing Mrs. Witt to nearly fall out because she had been leaning against the door.

Sirens could now be heard in the distance, coming closer, but Emily and I focused on easing the older woman back into the car. Emily started checking the woman over for visible injuries, and I tried to keep her talking and calm.

Mackenzie coughed a few times. "Mistook the gas for the brake," she muttered. Sam snorted, smiling as she nodded.

"Yeah, you did," Sam replied. "But don't worry. You'll have plenty of time to study which is which. It's a simple mistake."

 

(######)  
   (Present Day: Mackenzie's POV)

I raised my shoulders up to my ears, burrowing my nose in my scarf like Emily was a waited outside. Though it was still November, the temperature had dropped to 5 degrees Celsius, or 41 degrees Fahrenheit, and the lowest it usually got now was 9 degrees Celsius, or 49 degrees Fahrenheit. Add that to a very strong, very cold wind, and it felt freezing outside.

We had stopped at the small restaurant on our way back to Haruhi's house, and were currently waiting around by the entrance to be seated. As the hostess led us to a table in the back of the building, we shed our coats and scarves, none of us talking except for Sam and Brittany.

In the booth across from us was a group of British male tourists, a few of them glancing over at us and speaking to each other in hushed tones. One of them winked at Emily, and she blushed, waving back.

Sam noticed the exchange, and I saw her hands clench at her sides, but she didn't say anything about it when she caught my questioning look.

Our waiter came over, took our orders, and left, leaving my eyes to settle on the boy flirting with Emily from across the restaurant. He laughed with his friends at something, motioning to Emily while talking.

"Sam, what's wrong?" I whispered to her. Her burning glare was trained on the boy, though he had yet to notice.

"I don't like him," Sam whispered back. "He's gonna come over here and ask Emily out or something, but he's a jerk, and she's gonna say yes when she shouldn't."

"You're not making any sense. How do you know he's a jerk?" I asked, gazing over at the adjacent table.

"He was in here earlier with his arm around some girl, and they kept kissing and whispering things into each other's ear," Sam explained. "I saw them together when I came in here for some water."

"Then tell Em!" I insisted. "She's not going to say yes if she knows he's with someone."

"Can you? You're closer, and I'd rather not say anything out loud," Sam pleaded. I sighed, but nodded, leaning over to Emily and tapping her shoulder to get her attention.

"Sam said she saw that guy flirting with you, with another girl earlier," I told her.

"Really? Are you sure? She'll say just about anything to get me away from guys," Emily replied. "And girls," she added. "But I know it's coming from a good place."

"Sam's being real about this." I glanced over at Sam. "Brittany and I know she's overprotective of you, but we don't know why, and I think Sam's just trying to help you out," I said. Emily looked over at the red head, who had gone back to openly glaring at the boy.

"Sam's not going to tell use why she's overprotective. You know her," I continued, Emily now looking at me with guilty eyes. "She's not going to. She's gonna leave it up to you."

"I don't mind if she tells you or Brittany. I'd rather she tell you. It's difficult for me to say," Emily explained.

"She's not going to," I repeated. "This is Sam we're talking about. She's not going to tell, even if you say it's okay for her to."

"Okay," Emily agreed, looking extremely reluctant. "Bathroom."

She stood up, heading toward the restroom, the boys all watching her walk by. I leaned across the table and whispered to Brittany, "Head to the bathroom." Then I followed Em.

I heard footsteps behind me, guessed it was Brittany, and entered the bathroom, holding the door open for the brunette. She slipped in, and I closed the door behind her, the three of us going to the far corner of the bathroom and huddling closely as Emily began to awkwardly explain how she and Sam met. She also explained what usually happens whenever she dates someone, and the overall reason why Sam is so protective of her.


	7. The Festival Occurence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a chapter I've been looking forward to, so I sincerely hope everyone enjoys the fluff! I'll balance it out with an angsty chapter next time, promise! ;P
> 
> Disclaimer: None of the Host Club members are owned by me, and neither is the game, Have You Met.....?. That game is owned by the creators of the show, How I Met Your Mother.
> 
> Let me know what you think of the story so far, and we should be finding out what illness Sam has in the next chapter or two. Enjoy!

  (Author's POV)

"We're off to see the Wizard! The wonderful Wizard of Oz! We hear he is a hell of a wiz if ever a wiz there was. If ever, if ever a wiz there was, the Wizard of Oz is one because. Because, because, because, because, because...! Because of the wonderful things he does!" Tamaki and Mackenzie sang obnoxiously for the hundredth time since everyone had gotten in the limo.

"Sam, why'd you show him the Wizard of Oz?" Emily asked, stuck between singing along and mild irritation.

"He wouldn't stop bothering me until I showed him another American movie, and I've only received the boxes containing any movies considered Classics or made before the 21st century," Sam explained, covering her ears as the two tall blondes began again.

"Then show him Breakfast Club or some shit like that!" Brittany growled before covering both Mackenzie and Tamaki's mouths.

"Well, it was either the Wizard of Oz or Annie, and we all know Tamaki would be singing _The Sun'll Come Out Tomorrow_ , if I had shown him that," Sam pointed out, pouting slightly.

"You got four boxes full of movies, and you only let him watch one musical?" Brittany asked, glaring at Sam. She held her hands up in surrender.

"You know I'm protective of my movie collection," Sam lamely defended herself. "Besides, the song's only annoying because he and Kenz are repeatedly singing it loudly and off-key."

"What about Cyrano de Bergerac? Tamaki would like that, probably," Emily suggested.

"He saw that with me before we left. He wouldn't stop trying to serenade me after that," the red head replied.

After fifteen minutes of bickering over what movie Tamaki should've watched, the group finally arrived at the faire. There, the rest of the Host Club met Tamaki and the Americans just inside the front gate.

Immediately, Tamaki was hopping up and down next to Mackenzie. "C'mon, Mommy! Let's go try some of the food!" Tamaki cheered, grabbing Kenzie's wrist and dragging her in the direction the smell of food was coming from.

"Well, there goes my date," Sam sighed, looking and sounding indifferent. She turned towards Mori, Honey, and Haruhi, asking if she could walk with them for the evening.

Mori nodded, and Honey pulled Sam forward a few steps before jumping towards the taller boy. Haruhi smiled nervously at the other girl. Sam smiled back, bumping shoulders with the short-haired brunette and laughing.

They went wandering off together, with Mori giving Honey a piggyback ride and the two girls walking next to each other, towards some stands selling toys and other little trinkets.

"Brittany, I'm not one for games or rides. Would you mind joining me for a stroll around the faire?" Kyoya addressed his fiancé, directing his full attention to her thought he still clutched his notebook in his left hand.

"I don't see why not." She shrugged, looped her arm with Kyoya's free one, and they began their stroll, sticking to the outside of the faire grounds.

"Hey, Em," Kaoru wrapped an arm around her shoulders and leaned forward slightly to be able to look her in the eyes.

"Do you wanna come play some carnival games with us?" Hikaru finished, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"Um, sure," Emily agreed, hiding a blush from Kaoru's gaze. The twins grinned, and nearly ended up dragging Emily towards the games, but she managed to move her feet fast enough to match their pace.

And just like that, the group was broken up for the night, each member wondering what was to come.

 

(######)  
  (Mackenzie's POV)

Tamaki dragged me to the food tent like a child dragging their mother to an ice cream truck. The excitement in his eyes never ceased.

"What sounds good?" He asked, violet eyes skimming through the menu. I answered though I didn't think he was talking to me.

"Do they have funnel cake?" I asked, a little winded.

"They do!" Tamaki cheered, making me jump, before he rushed to buy some for us.

Finally sitting down, I caught my breath before focusing on a piece of funnel cake in front of me.

"Say 'ah'!" Tamaki instructed, flashing me a wide grin he used on the ladies at the Host Club. With a deep blush growing across my cheeks, I opened my mouth and watched Tamaki gingerly place the piece of desert in my mouth, a blush spreading over his cheeks and neck as well.

I smiled as I ate the piece he had given me, and then he offered another one to me. Tamaki had gone from a ball of energy to something he never turned into with other girls, a bashful, unsure guy. It was endearing, and kind of funny, but I somehow managed to refrain from laughing.

He continued feeding me pieces of funnel cake until I raised my hand out to stop him. Tamaki popped the piece into his own mouth, and smiled again.

"You don't need to feed me, you know. I appreciate the gesture, but I'm good, thanks," I told him, flashing a smile of my own. The blonde nodded, breaking off another piece to pop in his mouth.

 

(######)  
  (Author's POV)

"What game looks fun to you, Emily?" Kaoru asked, his eyes never having left Emily as they walked. Neither had his arm, which was still wrapped tight around Em's shoulders long after Hikaru had removed his arm. Emily's eyes couldn't seem to look away from Kaoru's, causing a delay in her response.

"Th-The ring toss g-game looks.... fun," she couldn't help but stammer out. Kaoru grinned at her, leading her towards the game, with Hikaru right beside them.

At the stand, Hikaru struck up a conversation with the owner while paying for the rings to play. Kaoru turned to look at Emily head on, finally removing his arm.

"So, um, well....." Emily searched her mind for something to talk about, but she kept drawing a blank.

Kaoru grinned, and for once, it looked sincere. "I saw you reading something the other day. You seemed really into it. What were you reading?"

"Oh, um, the Percy Jackson series. It's about a modern demigod named Percy, and I'm on the fourth book. Mackenzie and Sam recommended it to me," Emily answered.

Kaoru filed away Emily's sudden calmness when she talked about the Percy Jackson series. She didn't mumble, stutter, and she wasn't at a loss for words. Maybe there were other things she could talk about without stammering or mumbling.

"Really? So, tell me more about this Percy," he asked eagerly.

"Well, the series starts when he's twelve and he's suddenly accused of stealing Zeus's master bolt," Emily started. "To get back the bolt and prevent war, Percy goes on a quest with a daughter of Athena named Annabeth and a satyr named Grover. He's my favorite. Anyway...."

Hikaru took notice of the growing attraction between his brother and his fiancé as they continued talking. True, he had feelings for Haruhi, but something about this irked him. Not that he really felt that way about Emily, instead it was more of, he was becoming fearful of what the outcome might be if the attraction grew and Kaoru did not come to his senses.

Not surprisingly, the dominant twin won a small, stuffed jellyfish, and he handed it to Emily, breaking the now straggling conversation.

"Here, Emily," Hikaru said, a cocky smile spreading across his lips.

"Th-Thanks, Hikaru." Emily gave him a small smile of gratitude, while Kaoru gave his twin a glare of jealously, forgetting who Emily was engaged to for a brief moment.

 

(######)

Brittany and Kyoya struggled to have a conversation of their own during their stroll. Between the screams coming from the rides and the sounds of the games and various overlapping conversations, they didn't want to yell over everything else.

Finding their way to a distant bench, the ruckus of the faire was dimmed to a distant roar. Despite their original intentions of trying t have a conversation, they remained silent for quite a while.

"Brittany," Kyoya started, gaining attention from the brunette on his arm. "How come you and Sam don't swoon over us like the other girls?" He asked.

"What do you mean?" She asked, sounding slightly offended.

"Emily obviously has a thing for one of the twins, and Mackenzie and Tamaki are always gawking at each other," he elaborated. "You and Sam seem like you couldn't care less."

"Oh, I see. You're trying to bribe me into acting like the other girls for some sort of money gain?" Brittany caught on. Kyoya just blinked, hiding behind the glare in his glasses from the festival's bright lights.

"Sam's not one to be impressed easily by compliments and attention, and I know you've said romantic bullshit to other girls. I also know your sweet nothings don't have any intentions," she answered his original question.

"That's not true, I-"

Brittany interrupted him, "Besides drawing in more customers, I know you have no other intentions by whispering sweet nothings to a customer. I've already figured you don't do a thing unless you can benefit from it in some way, and that includes any and all things involving the Host Club.

"You and Sam are similar in one way, actually. She can be a good flirt, if and when she wants to be, but that rarely happens. The difference is, she's genuine to other people unless they're bugging her friends, and Sam knows, like me, that you only do things you benefit from."

"To be frank, you are the only one I can have a conversation with. Emily and Mackenzie aren't interested in talking to me, and Sam tends to act too hostile to hold up a conversation for long," Kyoya stated, his eyes trained on a spot ahead of them, and a slender finger tapping his chin.

"Sam acts hostile to you because she doesn't like you. She thinks you need to be taken down a peg," Brittany said, chuckling a bit. Kyoya looked down at her, for he was an inch or two taller than her. "Overall, she has an indifferent exterior. Though, there are occasions when she acts like a complete child."

Meanwhile, across the grounds, Sam was jumping up and down as she clung to Haruhi, squealing.

"Look! There she is!" Sam hissed lowly. "There's Ruri!" She pointed at the dark-haired girl dressed in a plain white dress shirt, a pleated blue skirt that ended at her knees, and a heavy blue cost over it all. She wore white sneakers on her feet, and carried a small white handbag.

Ruri had stopped at a vendor selling statuettes, and Sam began to pull Haruhi closer, but the brunette fought against her.

"She's not supposed to know I'm a girl. She's a regular at the Host Club," Haruhi protested. Sam pretended not to listen.

"She's _**your**_ regular. Now, we're going to play a ripped-off game I like to call, _Have You Met Haruhi?_ " Sam responded, pulling the younger girl closer to Ruri. "You look beautiful, and you are going to talk to her."

The two stopped next to Ruri, and Sam tapped the girl's shoulder. When she looked up, Sam asked, "Have..... you met Haruhi?"

Sam set Haruhi next to her crush, and then the red head disappeared back into the crowd, heading back over to Mori and Honey. She smiled devilishly at the tall host, who calmly raised an eyebrow at the girl in response.

"Just putting Haruhi on the spot," Sam stated, throwing a thumb over her shoulder to point back at Haruhi and Ruri. She flashed her evil smile again, and then joined Honey at a stand selling some old desert cookbooks.

"Here, help me find a good recipe," Sam told Honey, the two of them flipping through a giant cookbook Honey had just picked up. "We'll need a good one for Em's cooking trial in the next few days."

 

(######)  
  (Mackenzie's POV)

Tamaki and I had sat talking for a long time, even long after we finished the funnel cake. Finally, we realized how late it was, and rose to head back to the entrance to meet up with everyone else.

After minutes of standing there, and not seeing anyone, I called Sam, shivering in the cold as I waited for her to pick up.

 _"You're gonna hate us,"_ Sam said right off the bat. My eyebrows scrunched together.

"Why......?" I asked, frowning.

There was a clatter on the other end, and Sam snapping at one of the twins in annoyance. Then she came back, saying sheepishly, _"We took the limo."_

I blinked, processing the sentence before it hit me. "You left us!? Why?"

_"There's really no excuse. I don't know about the others, but I forgot."_

"You forgot about your fiancé and your best friend?" I asked, narrowing my eyes, though she couldn't see me.

 _"No."_ Sam sounded apologetic, and I could feel her wince away from my tone. _"I forgot about my fiancé, and then the twins started to get antsy because they had grown bored, and Honey got a little crabby, waiting. The limo came around, I was busy helping Emily keep the twins in one spot, and then I forgot about you."_

I huffed, watching my breath cloud outwards in the stale night air. "Well, can you turn around? How are we supposed to get home?"

_"Kyoya says it's not a far walk. Seven, ten minutes, tops..... I don't trust him, but I saw a bus stop just a little down the way from the faire grounds yesterday. You could catch a bus."_

"Fine. See you soon," I gave in. I ended the call before the red head could reply, and turned to Tamaki, stuffing my phone and hand in my coat pocket. "Come on, they ditched us. We'll have to walk."

Tamaki smiled, falling into step next to me as we headed down the sidewalk. "It's a beautiful night," he commented. I nodded, but didn't respond.

As we walked home under the moonlight, our scarves wrapped tightly around our necks and chins, our hands were intertwined, swinging slightly as we moved. The moon and stars were out that night, and only a few clouds drifting by, obstructed the view.

"They don't compare to your beauty, Mackenzie," Tamaki commented sweetly, catching my eyes looking at the stars above. I blushed, smiling and looking at my feet.

"You say that to all the girls," I said. "How do I know you mean it?"

He stopped suddenly, turning me toward him, and he gazed into my eyes. Stroking my cheek gently, he leaned in until his lips brushed mine. They were soft, and my stomach fluttered with butterflies as he kissed me again, this time more deeply.

Leaning away, he continued caressing my face. "Does that answer your question?" He asked softly.

I chuckled, "It'll take more than that to prove it to me, Host King." I continued walking, pulling him along as he jogged a little to catch up.

"I'll prove it to you, Mackenzie, princess. I swear I will!" He proclaimed. I giggled, pecking his cheek and rolling my eyes at his theatrics.

"Sure, Romeo," I replied.


	8. Biting Secrets & Imitation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam discovers what illness she has, but we don't, and we see how Sam makes bad decisions to not tell her folks about what's going on.  
> Everyone's concerned about what's wrong with Sam.  
> The girls imitate the hosts they like, and tackle two of the hosts to defend a friend.

  (Author's POV: Several days before)

The doctor set his clipboard on his desk, and peered at the red-haired teenager sitting on the other side. Her mud brown eyes were glazed over as she stared at the bottom of the desk, signaling she was lost somewhere in another world. Her fingers gripped the sides of the chair, turning the appendages into a lighter white than her skin actually was.

He cleared his throat, "Did you hear what I said, Ms. Mitchell?" The girl started, blinking up as if seeing the doctor for the first time.

"Yes." Her voice came out hoarse, and she coughed for a few seconds into her elbow. Several small drops of blood could be seen in the crook of her elbow when she dropped her arm. The doctor handed her a white handkerchief, which she gladly took.

The girl reached up to pull her hair out of its up-do, and began to gather it for another ponytail. "You asked if my parents know." She shook her head, and answered, "No, they don't. Are you sure, though? Maybe it's a mistake."

"Ms. Mitchell, we've already brought a second opinion in on this, it's absolute. Now, since the parents don't know, you're best bet, before we proceed, is to call them and bring them in on this," Dr. Wakahisa explained.

"I'll do that as soon as I get home," the red head rushed to promise. The doctor pursed his lips. "I just, need to process this....... may I go now, or was there something else?"

"No, that's it for now." The teen stood up, ready to dash out of there. "However," she sat back down, "we'll notify you when we'd like to discuss the course of action with one or both of your parents. Until then, I recommend staying away from any and all physical activity, and I'll have a note sent to your gym instructor at your school."

The girl paled, but nodded, standing up. "Thank you, I'll be waiting for that call." She hurried out as fast as she dared, not stopping until she had reached Ouran Academy. Slipping into the lunchroom was easier than she expected, and she had gotten her lunch in no time, her brain on panic mood all throughout this.

"Sam? Are you okay?" Mackenzie's voice pulled her out of her thoughts. The red head turned to her tall friend, managing a weak smile.

"Y-yeah, I guess. I mean," Sam wet her lips and smiled again, this time her smile was more sure and steady, "hopefully I'll be okay. I just got some bad news, that's all."

The two girls headed over to a table where the rest of their little group sat. Sam carried her tray with slightly shaky hands, though she tried to hide it. The two sat down across from Emily and Brittany.

"What kind of bad news?" Mackenzie asked, her question causing the current conversation to end abruptly.

"Just, um, Scott's not up for the grant he wanted, but he's still trying. Meanwhile, Skyler's sick. She caught chicken pox, and I told my mom before, that if Sky didn't get the vaccine, she was likely to catch it," Sam lied.

Mackenzie narrowed her eyes at her friend. "Ae you sure you're okay? You look like you're going to faint," she pressed.

"She just needs to eat something," Brittany brushed aside. "She didn't have breakfast, remember? Said she wasn't hungry."

Sam shook her head, distastefully looking at her lunch. She pushed the tray away, and hugged her midsection gently. Her chest was lit with pain, making her anxious and fidgety, but she didn't want to alarm her friends with the real news: the diagnosis. Or even her family for that matter. If she could figure out a way through this without anyone finding out, she'd be content.

"I'm not hungry," she mumbled. She winced when breathing too deeply made the pain flare up across her chest and shoulders. "I feel sick myself. I think I'll go to the nurse and get her to let me out early. I doubt I'll be able to concentrate the rest of the day with this growing headache I have."

To satisfy her best friends, she pressed her fingers to rub at her temples, using the movement to disguise another wince of pain. Sam hurried off, walking slow, and concentrating on taking shallow breaths to stop the pain from flaring up.

 

(######)  
  (Present Day: After the festival)

"Our first official sleepover in Japan!" Emily whispered excitedly. The girls giggled in hushed tones, piling all their pillows and blankets on the floor of Mackenzie's room, as it was the biggest and wasn't crowded with boxes like Sam's room was.

She sighed as she burrowed into a huge, fuzzy quilt, wrapping the dark blue fabric around herself. In her hands she held the movies she brought for them all to choose from, but refused to show them because she was too comfortable in the blanket cocoon.

"So, how was everyone's night out?" Emily asked, smiling and leaning forward as if the action would make her friends answer faster.

Mackenzie blushed, and laughed, brushing her hair out of her eyes. "Tamaki acts like such an idiot, but he was really romantic tonight." She looked around like the blonde might pop out, and leaned forward to whisper, "He fed me pieces of funnel cake."

Em and Brittany gushed, making the sound all girls cry when petting a cute dog or crossing paths with a newborn baby, "Awwwww!!!!" Sam giggled at their reaction, rolling her eyes.

"And your walk with Kyoya?" Sam questioned. "How was it? Did he treat you with respect?"

Brittany rolled her eyes, but was smiling, same as Sam had been doing not one minute ago. "Of course, he did." She let out a short giggle leftover from her laughing fit before. "We chatted while we walked, but nothing major happened. Nothing to report really. What abut you, Sam? Anyone catch your eye, yet?"

"Nah, no one special. Mori's cute, but not my type," Sam answered.

"Since when is tall, dark, and brooding not your type?" Kenzie asked, smiling.

Sam shrugged. "Since Mori decided to wear it." Her smirk was slow and easy, but her eyes didn't lit up like they usually did.

"He's very protective of you," Emily pointed out, thinking back on when Sam had gotten into a fight and Mori had come to her rescue.

"Well, sure, he's a knight in shining armor, but he's not for me," the red head insisted.

"Yo, do you know what we should do?" Brittany chirped out of nowhere.

"Oh, please, enlighten us," Sam replied, her eyebrows raising.

"We should imitate and mock the guys we like!" The brunette explained excitedly, gaining a round of quiet laughs from the rest of us.

"Genius!" Emily cried sarcastically.

"Kenzie, can you start off?" Sam asked, faking seriousness, interested in seeing her impression of Tamaki. The tall, blonde pondered for a moment before clearing her throat.

"I pretend to flirt with girls because I have too much time on my hands. I'm completely blonde to the roots and I have the emotional range of an egg," Mackenzie joked, flicking her hair out of her face dramatically and pulling a flirtatious smile.

"Emily? We're looking for a twin, which you got?" Sam asked, trying her hardest to contain her laughter.

"I always sound like a pubescent boy, and I swear to God I'm not gay! I just sexually play with my brother to get my shippers' hopes up and because we get bored easily." Emily couldn't help but break character, laughing at her own impression as the rest of the girls joined her.

"Truthfully, that doesn't narrow it down, but who cares?" Sam remarked offhandedly, not caring if anyone really heard her between the peals of laughter.

"Alright Brit, you're up," Kenzie pointed out after it was reinforced that Sam wasn't interested in any of the Hosts.

Brittany took a deep breath before putting on the glasses she needed for distance. She angled her face towards the light to imitate Kyoya's own glasses. She inhaled deeply before shouting, "I NEED DA MONIES!" Everyone except Brittany was snickering, trying to hold back their laughter to hear her finish. "Who the hell you calling, _Mommy_? I can be your daddy any day. Honey, quit pigging out on cake! It's costing the club hundreds of yen! I mean, I care about your well-being, and don't want you to get diabetes. Tamaki s an idiot, and you can add another thousand yen to your debt, Haruhi."

The girls all broke out into laughing fits, tears streaming down their cheeks after several minutes.

They managed to calm down a little until Sam commented, "I feel like a freakin' hyena," and got them all riled up again.

 

(######)  
  (3:07AM)

"Run that by us again?" Mackenzie asked, peering at Sam. The red head flushed, biting her lip.

"I'm planning on getting a buzz cut," Sam repeated.

Three pairs of eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Why would you suddenly decide to do that?"

"I don't know. New town, new friends. I thought having a nice haircut would be a nice change," Sam answered sheepishly, mentally cursing herself for saying anything. Then again, maybe this would turn out better than her hair coming out in clumps and having to explain that to her friends.

"Yeah, but a buzz cut, Sam? That's too extreme," Kenz said. "Getting a haircut is one thing....."

"....you could get bangs, a pixie cut, or get your hair cut to your shoulders...."

".....but deciding to cut all your hair off out of the blue, is another thing entirely," Kenz finished, not even blinking when Brittany interrupted her.

"So what? I mean, I'm still going through with it, I just wanted to tell you before it happened," Sam replied sharply, beginning to get annoyed. "It's only polite."

"Are you sure there' no other reason? You've ben acting really weird these past few days." Emily leaned forward, peering closely at her friend, even placing the back of her hand on Sam's forehead as if feeling for a temperature.

"What do you mean, weird? I just had a monstrous headache that one time."

"Yeah, but you look paler than usual, which I didn't think was possible; you're notably eating less; you even cough seemingly 24/7 now," Brittany listed. Her left hand absently fluttered up and down her other arm, like there was an invisible itch there. "Something's up, something you won't tell us, and now you suddenly want a major haircut."

Sam gripped the blanket tighter around her shoulders, biting her lip to distract from the everlasting pain in her chest and shoulders. She scowled, asking rudely, "Are you implying my decision to get a haircut is somehow related to me being sick? I mean, it's obvious I'm sick, but I didn't think I needed to tell you that. On the other hand, getting a haircut had absolutely nothing to do with me being sick. It's my decision, don't try and look to much into it because there's nothing to read between the lines!"

No one answered, the tension in the room at breaking point, and eventually the red head scoffed. "I should have never brought it up." She stood, taking the quilt with her, and stormed from the room, tears prickling her eyes.

She knocked on a door after turning down several corridors, and waited as Tamaki opened the door, blinking into the dark tiredly to find Sam standing before him, a deep frown etched on her face.

"Hey," Sam greeted, sniffling. The blonde reached out to brush a stray tear off her cheek. She stepped back at the touch. "I'm fine, I just wanted to ask if there's somewhere else I can sleep tonight."

"There's no other guest rooms, Sam. Only the servant's quarters have beds available," the boy replied, he frowned in concern. "Are you sure you are alright?"

His question went unanswered. "Thank you," she mumbled, wiping at her eyes and bowing slightly. She turned, and headed for the servant's quarters, leaving the blonde to watch her go.

 

(######)  
  (Author's POV: The next day)

"I told you I was sorry about yelling. I was tired and I'm getting over a cold," Sam insisted, annoyance laced in her voice. "The least you could do is stop apologizing. It wasn't your fault, any of you."

"Are you sure?" Emily asked, shifting in the chair she had perched in after walking in and catching sight of her oldest friend. "You seem very ticked off at something."

"Right now I'm just getting annoyed because you keep apologizing for something you didn't do," Sam said, keeping your voice even and her tone passive. She pulled a gentle, reassuring smile. "Just have another headache."

Emily pulled her in for a hug which Sam eagerly returned, her smile growing, before she caught sight of Brittany waving her over.

"Excuse me, I'm needed elsewhere," Sam said, pulling away and standing in one fluid motion. Emily nodded, and Sam headed over to where Brittany stood with Mackenzie. "What's up?"

"After finding out Emily's rotten luck with partners, I suggest we make sure Hikaru knows not to hurt Em or else he deals with us," Brittany start explaining.

"So, how are we going to get the message across?" Mackenzie asked. The three girls stepped in closer, huddling as Brittany explained the plan.

"Hikaru! Kaoru!" Sam sang as the huddle broke. The twins turned in time to see the girls running at them.

Brit tackled Hikaru straight on, while Sam shouldered Karou down and pinned him before he could get back up. Kenzie helped Sam hold him down as Brittany began talking.

"Now look, Hikaru, my friends and I have looked out for each other through many things over the past year, and we never hesitate to go looking for a fight if it means making sure the other is okay," she said evenly. Hikaru blinked up at her, surprise still written on his face though it was decreasing as he got over the initial shock of getting tackled out of the blue. "If you hurt Emily, at all, before or after the wedding, you will suffer greatly.

"I don't think we have to begin to explain what will happen if you hurt her, but I will say this: Sam is always ready to dig a grave, if need be. Don't let it come to that, understand?" Hikaru nodded rapidly, his body tense as Brittany gazed down with feral eyes.

She let him stand, and Mackenzie stood as well. Sam, however, gripped Kaoru's upper arm after she'd helped him up, whispering in his ear, "The threat extends to you as well, for I know you've taken a liking to Emily."

Sam leveled a glare at Kaoru when he looked down at her. She nodded once, and slipped back to her seat next to Emily, who gave her a look.

"What? We're just looking out for you," Sam defended, smiling.


	9. Should We Be Doing This? Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part One:  
>  In this part, Sam's older brother, Scott, comes to town to help out his sister, and we find out what illness Sam has. Also, Brittany becomes a hostess, and she and Kyoya go out on their first date, which Sam is none too happy about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of the characters of Ouran HighSchool Host Club. I only own my OCs (Sam, Brittany, Emily, Mackenzie, and now, Scott), and the events in which they find themselves in.
> 
> ALSO, as it says in the summary, we have finally come to the chapter where Sam's illness is revealed! See bottom for more notes!

  (Author's POV: Sunday, two weeks later)

Sam ran her hand along the back of her neck for about the thousandth time since she had stepped out of the barber shop. The feeling of the now less than an inch hair oddly comforted her, even helped calm her down during the test the class had taken a few days ago, and now, she ran her hand on the short hair almost every minute possible.

At this moment, she sat facing Dr. Wakahisa with her older brother, Scott, sitting next to her. They were discussing treatment options, and while Sam was listening, she was still getting used to the drastic turn her life had taken.

It felt like she had driven off the edge of a cliff and was stuck in free fall, her stomach twisting at the possibility of hitting the ground. And while it wasn't like she could avoid the moment of impact, the treatment was just so the ground wouldn't kill her when she hit it.

The red headed teen stayed quiet throughout the conversation, the gigantic butterflies in her stomach making her more gauche than usual. Her fingers danced across her ripped jeans as the two older men talked and Sam ruminated about the days after she would start treatment. Hopefully she knew her friends well enough that she could anticipate all their questions.

The meeting ended, and Sam shook the doctor's hand and nodded politely, not bothering to pull a smile, knowing it'd be fake if she did. She followed her brother outside, shoving her gloved hands into her pockets when the cold air hit her.

Scott laughed at the sight, and Sam returned it with a hard glare. He shrugged defensively, almost saying, "What can you do?"

"It's cold, shut up," Sam muttered, rolling her eyes. Scott nodded, still smiling, and they headed back to the hotel the young man was staying at. "You didn't tell Mom or Dad, right?" Sam asked after about seven blocks. The hotel came into view, and the two moved to cross the street.

"No, I haven't, yet," Scott replied once they had reached the sidewalk on the opposite side. The teen's eyes widened at him, but he didn't laugh like he usually did when she made that face. "You'll have to tell them eventually. I mean, how are you even planning on paying for the treatment? If you use their accounts, they're bound to notice."

Sam sighed, nodding her thanks when her brother held open the door to the hotel for her. She slipped inside with Scott on her heels, and they both headed straight for the elevator, not saying a word until they stepped into an empty one.

Scott pressed the button for the fourth floor, and Sam admitted, "I don't know what's going to happen. I'm still trying to figure this out. So far, I can easily explain the appointments by saying the doctors made a mistake with one of my usual tests and I had to go back." They exited the elevator when it had stopped and the doors had slid open. "But I'm not planning on telling Mom or Dad, or Sky. I just wanted to make sure you weren't going to say anything."

"How can I not tell them?!" Scott's voice rang out in the otherwise empty hallway. "Next time I talk to Dad, I just tell him about my latest experiments, my latest boyfriend, and the latest news from Japan: Sam and her friends are alright and doing well, and Sam's managed to keep her grades above a B minus? I couldn't do that."

"How is Bryan, by the way? You haven't mentioned him at all since you got here," Sam said, leaning against the wall next to Scott's hotel door. The man swiped his room key, and opened the door, waiting until his sister had gone in before he followed, the door closing behind them.

Scott inserted his key into the modernized switch, and the lights came on. His younger sister flopped down in the armchair by the ceiling to floor window, propping her feet up on the footstool.

"We broke up a week and a half ago, but that's not the point I'm trying to make." Scott took his coat off, tossing it down on the bed, and then went to work unwrapping the scarf he wore. "I'm trying to tell you I can't just ignore news like this and not tell Dad next time I see him. This is too life-changing to keep from family."

"You and Bryan broke up? Oh, man.... I liked him," Sam pouted, scrunching up her nose. "But then again, I always thought he was pretty possessive for a guy who flirts with others in front of his boyfriend."

"Sam, can you stay on topic, I know you don't like talking about this, but-"

"And he always tried to get you to do illegal stuff, and when he found out about Mom kicking you out of the family, he acted like a total douche, saying you deserved it." Sam ran a hand across the top of her head, feeling the stubble there. "Plus he had a criminal record, got arrested for breaking and entering and setting a hot dog stand on fire. And he had tried to rob a bank, but got caught because he tripped over his-"

"THIS IS SERIOUS, SAMANTHA!!!!! YOU HAVE LUNG CANCER!!!!" Scott shouted. Sam shut her mouth, and the chair seemed to swallow her as she stared at her brother with wide, scared eyes.

The man took a deep breath in, running his hand through his gelled hair, messing it up. He continued in a quieter voice, all his stress coming out as he talked, "I know you realize how serious this is, and I know you enough to know this is your way of coping with something this extreme, but you need to talk about it. You're keeping this from your friends and from your family, and it's insulting to Dad that you won't tell him.

"Not telling Mom, I understand. She'll find some way to make this about her, but you and Dad are so close. He told me he would be more than happy giving you the company when I first told him I wanted to be a scientist instead. And why won't you tell your friends? That's what confuses me most of all."

Sam straightened in the armchair. "I don't want my friends to worry about me. They have their own problems, they don't need the added stress of my cancer," she replied.

"The doctor said you should keep your friends and family close during treatment," Scott tried to persuade.

"First off, the doctor _suggested_ I keep in touch with friends and family. And second, I'm keeping them close, they just won't know I'm going through cancer treatment," Sam corrected sternly. Her brother shook his head, obviously disappointed in her decision.

"I'll respect your wishes and not tell Dad, and I'll regret this until my dying day, especially if yours comes before mine. Just know that I don't agree with any of your decisions to not tell Dad, Brittany, Mackenzie, or Emily," Scott said, sighing. Sam stood and moved forward, catching her brother in a weak hug.

She stepped back immediately, knowing her brother was only concerned and doing his best to look out for her. She cracked a reassuring smile, her eyes relaxed and trying to laugh. "Thank you, and I know I'm not making the best decisions. I'm just trying to do what I think is best, even though it's obvious I shouldn't do it." She rushed to continue when Scott opened his mouth to speak, "I respect your conclusion that my decisions won't work out, that they'll find out and be disappointed or even angry at me for not telling them sooner. However, I'll take my chances."

Sam strode to the door and pulled it open, and before she could head out, she heard her brother call out to her. "And how did you know Bryan had a criminal record? He never told me."

The red head chuckled. "I was worried about you and looked him up at the police station back home," she answered, and then closed the door, heading for the elevator.

 

(######)  
  (Monday)

Kyoya had typed up a flyer for the newest addition to the club, after much protesting from Brittany, Sam, and Mackenzie, officially declaring Brittany a part of the Host Club. The flyer read, _"The Host Club has added a female host! Introducing Brittany, the feisty type!"_ and it attracted lots of attention.

There were multiple reactions when the announcement was made, and though it got a negative reaction from a majority of the male student body, some of the regulars of the club inquired about paying to talk to Brittany. However, the Americans did a fantastic job of pressuring Kyoya out if that idea, two of the reasons being that he needed to respect Britt's romantic orientation and that it would be extremely misleading and immoral to lead girls on like that.

This led to a full blown argument between Sam and Kyoya over Haruhi's situation, which shocked the other club members as Kyoya never yelled at anyone, even when they were annoying him.

After that was straightened out by Haruhi himself, word got around about Brittany as a host and some boys were rallied in. It was obvious everyone was a bit surprised when they saw how flirty she could get. She was a walking tease, putting the boys back in their place if they forgot. And yet, she still paid more attention and had less attitude towards Kyoya.

"Hey, Haruhi," Ruri started, gaining the brunette's attention. "I heard a rumor that Brittany and Kyoya are secretly engaged. Is that true?" She asked. The other customers at Haruhi's table stared at the host intently, waiting earnestly for an answer.

"Engaged or not, I think they would make a cute couple. They're total opposites, yet exactly the same. Like fire and ice," another customer spoke up, not waiting for an answer.

Haruhi opened her mouth to say something, but a third customer beat her to it, putting in her two cents, "Yeah, I'd pay to see them get together."

The word, pay, seemed to be the only word that stuck out to Kyoya. **I'd pay to see them get together** , he heard again, this time in his head. It got him thinking.....

It wasn't long before an idea came to the Shadow King. A devious smirk spread across his lips, hidden behind his black notebook, and he snapped the book closed with a flick of the wrist, the smirk now gone.

Brittany was still relatively new and so, didn't receive too many customers, and as Kyoya didn't usually have many customers, the two of them would often chat together. This was the perfect time to ask his fiancé out properly, in front of the customers and the other hosts.

"Brittany, do you have a moment?" Kyoya asked, stepping around the couch to face her. She brought her passive stare up from her, now, cold tea cup and looked at him. She set the cup aside, and smiled kindly at him, nodding.

"I have the rest of the club time. What's up?" She asked before he took a seat next to her. He made sure to sit close enough that the customers would notice, but far away enough that Brittany didn't. That brought him half a foot away from her.

"I think it'd be important if we became more acquainted with each other. The faire was a good start, and I certainly enjoyed talking with you, but I think we should do more activities together," Kyoya explained. Brittany blinked at him a bit before realization slapped her.

"Are you saying we should go out on more dates?" The brunette checked, laughing inwardly at the way the host had worded his question.

"In a way, yes," he confirmed, punching his glasses further up the bridge of his nose, knowing everyone in the room could hear them. Even a certain red head, who watched the exchange while seated in between Honey and Mori, one brown eye twitching out of irritation.

"What's wrong, Sam-chan?" Honey asked, noticing her glare towards Kyoya. It was hard to tell if Shadow King could feel the glare on the back of his head, though Sam's glare was hard enough to put fear in the faint of heart.

"I don't like the sound of them being alone on a date. If he says something insulting to her, she'll brush it off on the spot, but it'll circulate in her mind and bring her down," Sam explained, not elaborating further on what she meant.

"Kyo-chan can be scary at times, but he has good intentions," Honey assured her, Mori grunted in agreement. "Besides, they are engaged. They need to get to know each other. That's why you all came here, right?" Sam shrugged the two boys off, not saying anything yet continuing to glare heavily in Kyoya's direction.

 

(######)  
  (That Saturday)

"Brittany, are you ready for your date with Kyoya?" Tamaki called up. His fiancé came up behind him.

"Ugh, don't say it like that!" Sam hissed, causing the blonde to cower behind Mackenzie, his eyes visible just above the blonde girl's right shoulder.

"I get why you hate Kyoya, but maybe this is what Brit needs," Emily tried to calm Sam down. The girl refused to do anything but huff irritably.

"Relax, Sam, we're just watching movies and taking it easy," Brittany sighed, coming down the stairs in nothing fancy. Just a Fall Out Boy t-shirt and jeans.

"Yeah, but you'll be alone with him and-" Sam's rant was interrupted by the doorbell that echoed throughout the house. Her mouth closed and her eyes immediately narrowed at the front door.

"That's probably him. See you guys later!" Brittany called hurriedly before grabbing her bag and rushing out to avoid anymore of Sam's refusals.

Meanwhile, outside the limo pulled up with Kyoya and two other men in it as inside, Brittany was just descending the stairs.

"Remember to stay out of sight and keep the camera on us. She's not to know of this." Kyoya ordered the two men from his family's police force. One was hooking up a camera inside the limo and the other was getting settled behind a bush, video camera in hand.

Then, Kyoya went to the front door, ringing the doorbell and greeting Brittany as she came out. By then, the officer hooking the camera up in the limo had stealthily gotten out of the vehicle on the side not facing the Suoh's mansion.

"Hey, Kyoya," she said with a grin, closing the front door before Sam could burst out and give Kyoya a piece of her mind.

"Good afternoon, Brittany. You're looking well," he greeted, offering her an arm to take. She linked her arm with his before they shuffled to the car. The ride to Kyoya's house was rather quiet, other than a quick explanation of what Fall Out Boy was.

Even after the explanation, Brittany was sure the host sitting next to her couldn't get over the name of the band. His brief confused expression had almost made her laugh.

Once arriving at his place, and seeing how large his mansion was, Brittany let out a quiet, "Daaammmnnn," as she got out of the limo. Now it was Kyoya's turn to reign in his laughter at her awed expression, which wasn't hard.

They went to his room and became comfortable on his couch, which was situated not too far from a flat screen TV. There was a long discussion on what they should watch until Brittany insisted they watch Star Wars, saying it was based on the fact that Kyoya had never seen it, and that it was the greatest series of all time.

By the time Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith had commenced, Brittany had grown comfortable enough to lay across Kyoya's lap and say whatever she felt like, which resulted in some mini-rants whenever a character did something she didn't like. Not that it bothered him, Kyoya found it to be intriguing, both the movies and Brittany's rants.

"So what happens with Darth Vader's kids?" He asked.

Brittany hushed him "You'll see in Episode 4."

"How many are there?" Kyoya tilted his head, his eyes focused on the brunette instead of the screen.

"Like seven. The eighth is in the making," she answered. He groaned softly, eyes flicking up to the screen before settling on Brittany again.

"Shut up. George Lucas is a genius and these trilogies are amazing," she defended, hitting him in the side with a pillow. He faked surprise before hitting her back with one. Feeling challenged, Brittany spoke up, pillow in hand, and hit him again, in which he returned the gesture.

It wasn't long before a full out pillow fight began. Brittany had made the couch her base, and was flinging pillows across the room to where Kyoya was taking cover, a triumphant smile on his face every time he managed to hit the brunette.

Out of nowhere, Brittany tackled the ebony-haired teen. They wrestled until Kyoya successfully pinned Brittany underneath him.

"Get off me, you ass," Brittany threatened lightly, chuckling afterwards. Kyoya flashed a smirk at her, and before either one could react, he swooped down and landed a chaste kiss on her cheek.

They stared in shock at each other, and then Kyoya sat up, trying his best t appear calm, like he had planned that. Brittany sat up as well, and her eyes, seeking elsewhere, landed on the TV screen, watching the credits of the movie roll. Then she checked the time on her phone.

"I should get going. Any longer and I'll have to deal with a maternal Sam," Brittany joked, cracking a sideways smile. Kyoya nodded, fixing his glasses which had been skewed Brittany had tackled him.

"Of course, wouldn't want that," he stated simply.


	10. Shouls We Be Doing This? Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part Two:  
>  In this part, Mackenzie and Tamaki spend time together, and Tamaki gets completely freaked out by the show the two watch. Meanwhile, Emily begins baking for an order of cakes Kyoya wants for the club, and Kaoru joins her. They end up getting a little sidetracked once the cakes are in the oven.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of the characters from Ouran HighSchool Host Club, just my OCs!
> 
> Warning: There is a slight spoiler on the show, Supernatural, season 1 episode 6, Skins. So, for those who have not watched this show/episode, the small spoiler in this chapter will make sense only in the context of this chapter, as it was written. Otherwise, enjoy!

  (Mackenzie's POV: That same Saturday, after Brittany's left)

Sam said nothing but her glaring stopped when the front door closed. She sighed tiredly, rubbing a hand along the nape of her neck.

"I'm gonna take a nap," she muttered, not really caring if anyone heard. She turned and strode up the staircase, heading toward the servants' quarters, where she had moved in after spending a night there. Her reasoning was, the room was smaller and cozier, and it was perfect for her as she didn't need as much space as the guest room gave her.

Emily took her leave as well, heading for the humongous kitchen to carry out Kyoya's order of lemon, blueberry, and orange mini-cakes for Monday's meeting.

I turned toward Tamaki, flushing slightly when my eyes met his. "So, um, do you want to do something together?" I shifted awkwardly, my eyes skipping away, looking at anything but the boy in front of me.

He made me feel giddy inside, and I couldn't help but blush or smile in his presence. Especially when I knew his eyes were on me, which, it seemed, they were trained on me all the time.

Recently, Kyoya had me skipping the club meetings because he said Tamaki wasn't paying attention to his customers like he should. This confused me as Tamaki's the best and I'd never seen him not paying attention to his customers in the time I'd known him.

Tamaki's voice startled me, but it was his close proximity that brought me out of thoughts. "Would you be so happy as to accompany me with my Christmas shopping?" He had moved closer while I had been lost in my thoughts. He was close enough that I could practically feel his own blush.

I blinked, replaying the question in my head, and I blushed sheepishly. "Christmas shopping? No thanks, I, um, don't like Christmas."

"You don't like Christmas?!" Tamaki exclaimed, eyes wide with disbelief, "Why do you not like Christmas? I was hoping you'd join me in my shopping."

With him this close, I couldn't focus on anything but his large, pleading purple eyes. Usually, he appeared to be as awkward around me as I was around him, but right now, he was using all his power to convince me to go with him.

"I'm really sorry. It's just, my birthday is the same day, and it's never really been my favorite holiday," I apologized, grimacing a little. "Maybe we could find something else to do?"

Distracting him before he could pout and train those puppy eyes on me again, Tamaki gazed thoughtfully at me. "What did you have in mind?"

I paused to think for a second. "Well..... you seem really interested in American movies, how about we watch some tv shows? Like, I could introduce you to my favorite one! It's called Supernatural. I'll go get the first season from Sam, we'll watch in the living room."

Tamaki agreed, and I headed up the stairs as fast as I could. When I arrived at Sam's room, I saw her chatting with a servant.

".....I'm sorry, again, about the noise. I honestly didn't think it was that loud this time," Sam was saying. "And again, don't be afraid to say anything if it happens a third time; you shouldn't feel bad about telling me. I feel really bad about blasting my music so loudly."

"Yes, ma'am," the servant said. The young women noticed me standing feet away, waiting, and she hurriedly apologized to me. "I'll just return to my duties," she muttered, bowing to Sam first and then to me. She rushed away, and I stepped forward to talk to Sam, who turned to me, face expressionless.

"Could I borrow the first season of Supernatural? Tamaki and I are going to watch it together," I told her. She nodded, pulled a small smile, and disappeared into her room to root through a gigantic cardboard box sitting next to her bed.

"Just tell me if you two need the second season, okay?" She said, straightening and handing me the DVD case. I nodded, thanked her, and hurried back downstairs to the living room. Tamaki took the case from me, and put in the first disc, joining me on the couch afterwards.

 

(######)  
  (Six episodes later)

"Tamaki!" I protested, a smile on my face. I brought my hands up to his, trying to tug them down so I could see. "I can't see what's happening!"

"You mustn't look, princess. It's too horrible for a delicate creature such as yourself!" Tamaki exclaimed, a tiny yelp trailing his words as a sobbing scream emitted from the speakers. Becky, a character on the show, cried and protested against the creature dressed up as Dean.

"I've seen this before, it's not that bad!" I shoved his hands down, but he replaced them as soon as my hands were down. I shook my head, trying to dislodge his hands, but Tamaki wasn't giving up his effort to shield me from what he considered "horrible violence".

"You've seen this before!?" The blonde cried. "Why would you watch this carnage?!"

"Yes, I have," I laughed, "Sam and Emily have watched it too."

"Sam is a violent creature herself," Tamaki whispered. "My only concern is to why you've watched this."

I shrugged, my shoulders bumping into Tamaki's lifted arms. "It's interesting, entertaining. There's a lot more to the show than killing monsters, and it never really gets horrible. You're overreacting."

His hands came down. "Overreacting?!!" He looked at me with wide eyes full of disbelief and slight hurt. "Beauty is an innocent thing, forever looked to as a reassuring light in an otherwise dark world." He paused for dramatic effect, then continued, adding, "No beauty should catch a glimpse of such things," here he gestured to the screen, which showed the SWAT team going through the house, "especially no beauty as captivating and magnificent as you."

It was a few minutes before I could talk, struck staring in awe at the boy in front of me. My eyes shone at his words, but I quickly composed myself, shaking my head somewhat to clear my thoughts. "That's sweet of you to say, but I'm alright."

I added kindly, "....If you're a little scared, we could watch something else." Tamaki stared at me, then looked away sheepishly.

"What else is there to watch?"

I stood up, dragging him up with me, the tv forgotten. "Based on this, watching Teen Wolf is out of the question, so let's see what Sam has."

 

(######)  
  (Emily's POV: In the kitchen)

Seventeen cakes for each of three flavors by tomorrow for the Host Club's meeting on Monday. I groaned upon entering the Suoh's kitchen. The servants were elsewhere, Tamaki having sent them away because Kyoya's instructions forbid any servants from helping me.

"Those cakes aren't going to prepare themselves," I sighed, resigning to start now instead of later, "though I wish they would."

After several minutes of searching and locating the ingredients and cooking utensils, I heard the back door open and footsteps as I set the flour bag on the counter top. Looking up, I was surprised to see Kaoru gazing around.

"I've never been in here before," he commented idly. He kept peering around until finally his eyes landed on me. My stomach fluttered with butterflies.

"W-where's your brother?" I asked, brushing my hair back and hoping I didn't look nervous. He raised his eyebrows, eyes sparkling with mischief, but didn't answer. Realizing he wanted to hear my guess, I bit my lip, blushing. "Hikaru," I elaborated, "Where's Hikaru?"

Kaoru beamed at me, clapping his hands at my, apparently, correct guess. He drew closer, running a hand over the counter top as he walked.

"At home," he answered, a sly smile slid on to his face. "I got bored, wanted to see you."

I smiled back, my fingers playing with my sweater sleeves; a nervous tick of mine. "Well, I have to bake about fifty-one cakes for Monday's club meeting, so, unless you, uh, want to help, you're gonna be bored here too," I told him, gesturing to all the ingredients and cooking utensils laid out.

Kaoru made a show of taking off his coat and gloves and rolling up his sleeves, grinning. "Just show me what you need to get done."

I set two bowls out, one for each of us, and said, "First, we need to measure out and mix all the dry ingredients." Reaching for the flour, I struggled to open it, looking to see if there were any scissors when I couldn't.

Kaoru grabbed a small knife, took the bag from me, and poked a hole in the bag, placing the knife back afterwards.

I stretched out the hole until it was wide enough, then dipped the measuring cup in. Lifting it up, I smoothed out the top with a butter knife before depositing it into one of the bowls.

It took some time, less than it would have if Kaoru hadn't been helping, but eventually we got all the dry ingredients measured out and mixed together. I began to pour and mix the wet ingredients in the largest bowl I had ever seen, Kaoru disappearing from my sight as I worked.

I tried my best to focus on baking, but every so often, my mind kept going back to Kaoru. What was he doing, where did he go? My treacherous mind told me he had left, had gotten bored with me, but I bit my lip, trying to keep tears from falling, and turned my thoughts back to baking.

As I turned around to put away some ingredients to clear the counter a little, my whole front was suddenly covered in flour. I stumbled back a few steps, more out of shock than the impact, and looked up to find a snickering Kaoru with the flour bag by his feet and one hand covered in flour.

My eyes widened at him, lips stretching into a smile of mock hurt. "Did you just throw flour at me!?"

Kaoru laughed louder, then bent down to scoop up more. As he rose back up, I launched an egg at him. It broke in his hair and dripped down his face.

Now, he was silent, staring at me with pride, but it only lasted a second, something that stretched into more, and then he was laughing again, tossing flour at me.

I ducked down, hiding and only peeking out to fling more eggs at the red head. We traded fire that way, Kaoru switched his ammo from flour to blueberries to eggs, when he got ahold of them, and me switching between my eggs and sparse handfuls of baking soda.

Protests and shrieks from impact could be heard, and Kaoru and I were constantly moving around, hitting cabinets and appliances just as much as hitting each other. A servant stuck her head in at one point, but took her leave when she got hit with several eggs.

Kaoru laughed as the girl retreated, and I took those few moments to take the flour bag from him and hit him with a few eggs for good measure.

"Cheater!" He exclaimed, smile still on his face. "You can't do that! Cheater!"

I chuckled, and said, "There are no rules! It's a free-for-all!" Peeking up from behind the counter, I launched another egg at him. In turn, Kaoru threw some blueberries in my direction, the small fruit raining down on me.

Then, it was silent. I waited two minutes, occasionally peeking to try and find the host, but Kaoru had disappeared like earlier. I stood slowly, in case he would pop up and start throwing stuff at me again.

The oven bell dinged, startling me, and I turned toward it. Out of nowhere, Kaoru flattened an egg on my head from behind me, causing me to scream out.

"Hey!" I spun around, looking up slightly at his laughing face, his arms suddenly resting on my hips. My protest died on my tongue, however, and I could only stutter out a weak, "That's n-not fair."

An eyebrow raised and a smirk slid on to his face. He leaned closer, eyes sparkling in the kitchen lighting. "You're the one who said this was a free-for-all. And how's that saying go, _All's fair in love and war_?"

I blushed, one hand lying on the counter next to us and the other twisting a dry strand of hair. Kaoru reached up and carefully removed the egg shell.

"Sorry about your hair," he said, voice quieter than before.

"It's alright," I mumbled, nervous because he was leaning closer, head bent, and then I was leaning in too. His lips brushed mine, and my eyes fluttered closed.

"Em!" Sam's voice broke us apart, both of us turning our heads toward the girl. She was staring at the oven, trapped by the door by flour and smashed egg. "The cakes are burning!"

Turning fully now, I gasped and hurried to grab oven mitts before throwing open the oven door, quickly taking the pan out. I breathed a heavy sigh of relief upon seeing they hadn't burnt too much.

I set the pan on the cooling rack, and removed the mitts, glancing over at Sam.

"You're not going to tell, right?" I asked, worried about how Hikaru would feel about this.

Sam gave me a look that said I should know the answer already, then looked down at the floor.

"Only if I get to clean this up," she replied slyly. I laughed and nodded, and Sam set to work cleaning up the kitchen. Kaoru and I shamefully set about preparing the cakes again, the conversation between us light and easy the rest of the afternoon.


	11. "And They're Off!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to thank my bestest friend, sunsetwolf on Wattpad, for helping me with this chapter! She helped write the proposal scene that features in this chapter (hint, hint), which is based on her parents' engagement. So cute! 
> 
> Also, for those who have never heard of the gigantic Toys-R-Us store in NYC, it is, sadly, no longer in business. However, it did have a full sized Ferris Wheel inside it, and you can look up pictures if you so choose. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter! I had fun writing it!

  (Brittany's POV: December 22nd JST)

The music room was filled with laughter as most of us began to toss around each other's backpacks, playing Keep Away. Haruhi was even joining in on the fun, laughing and giggling as she ran past Mackenzie with the girl's bag.

Kenzie tried to grab it, but Haruhi just managed to duck under her arms, handing it off to Emily, who dashed in my direction.

The bag was pushed into Kaoru's hands, who blinked down at it before seeing Mackenzie rush at him, and he bolted off. He passed it to me as he ran by, and I ended up tossing it to Hikaru, who didn't even take two steps before Mackenzie tackled the boy to the floor.

Everyone was laughing, and Mackenzie made a split second decision to grab my bag as she went to put her own down. I caught sight of it, and headed cautiously in her direction, planning to inch my way close enough to take the bag back before she handed it off.

Unfortunately, she figured out what I was doing, and bolted towards Tamaki. Using him as a shield, Mackenzie fended me off until she managed to hand the bag over to Hikaru, who had snuck up on me while I was preoccupied with Kenz. My hands clenched into fists, and I charged after the boy.

He weaved past Mori and attempted to throw the bag back towards him, but I snatched it in midair, hugging it to my chest as I went to put it back. Instead of grabbing another backpack, I grabbed one of Haruhi's books, holding it behind me as I walked past her.

"Hey, that's mine, Brittany!" She protested, lungeing for it when I sped up. I laughed, handing it off to Emily. Mackenzie grabbed Sam's backpack as well, and gave it to me as soon as my hands were free.

The sound of, "Dude! That's mine!" was all the signal I needed to know Sam had noticed her stolen property in my arms.

I skirted around to Kyoya, betting Sam wouldn't come close to the boy, but stopped, eyes going wide and whole new peals of laughter bursting out when I caught sight of the contents of Kyoya's notebook.

"Mackenzie, Emily, come look at this! Kyoya draws!" I shouted between peals of laughter. They hurried over and peered down at the open notebook, ignoring an objecting Shadow King. "Hush, they're good," I told him.

 "Well, your shading could be better. On this one," Mackenzie pointed to a page, "your light source isn't clear. At first, it seems to be coming from the left, but then here, it looks to be coming from the front."

"And for this one," Emily turned the page, "I don't understand what I'm looking at."

We continued to make comments and suggestions, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kyoya's eyes trained on Sam, who stood back with her focus on her bag still in my hands.

"Samantha, don't you want to see my drawings?" The ebony asked. I could hear the heavily implied, "and criticize them", and I placed a calming hand on his arm though he wasn't angry.

"I stick to words and occasionally numbers, I can't draw for the life of me," Sam replied, glaring at him when he had called her by her full name. Kyoya said nothing in response to this, and after a minute, curiosity got the better of my friend.

She walked over, and gently took the notebook from Kyoya, holding it carefully, and began to flip through the pages. "These are really good. I really like your style. It's very observant and detailed," she commented.

She handed the book back to Kyoya. Everyone was stunned into silence at Sam complimenting Kyoya, even the man himself, though I could only tell he was stunned because we had been spending so much time together lately.

The redhead took back her bag, and that action seemed to remind Haruhi of her own stolen book. Our game of Keep Away started up again, except this time, Sam was participating in my place.

Kyoya switched his notebook for his laptop and sat down on one of the many couches. I followed, relaxing into the cushion, eyes watching the game.

It was reassuring to see Sam smiling and laughing again, she seemed so down lately, always tired and paler than usual. I didn't want to question her on why she started sitting out at gym, or why her hair, though extremely short, had disappeared, leaving her to constantly wear hats.

What concerned me most, though, was that there was clearly something wrong with her and she refused to tell her friends. Resolving to ask her about it now, I stood.

"Excuse me, Brittany," I heard Kyoya speak up. "Have you ever been to New York City?" He asked, interrupting my plans.

"Yeah, why?" I replied, peeking over his shoulder at his laptop screen. I recognized photos of Broadway, the Statue of Liberty, and the Empire State Building on the screen.

"It seems to be one of the most known places in America." He sounded interested, but one could never be certain with him. We had been out on dates in our free time almost every moment possible in these past two weeks, but I was still left wondering what he was actually feeling on a day-to-day basis.

"Next to Vegas and San Francisco," I added, nodding. The only thing certain about Kyoya's feelings is that he hated Sam just as much as she hated him, but that had been obvious from the very beginning.

"Could you take me there some time?" Kyoya asked, his grey eyes meeting my sherried brown. He seemed really intrigued by the Big Apple, with all these pictures pulled up, and I couldn't say no to that face.

"I don't see why not," I agreed easily, smiling at him.

 

(######)  
Flight #0567

     Departure - December 23rd, 5:00AM (JST)

     Arrival - December 22nd, 4:30PM (EST)

 

(######)  
  (December 22nd, 4:28PM EST)

I got major jet lag on the way to New York and fell asleep about three hours into the flight. I only woke when we hit some turbulence and the plane shook a bit. My head felt almost sandwiched between something, which I came to realize was Kyoya's shoulder and his head.

My head must've fallen on his shoulder when I was asleep, and then he fell asleep, his head falling on to mine. In my head, I chuckled at my groggy logic.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we'll be landing in fifteen minutes, and would like to remind everyone to be seated with your seat belt on, all carry-ins stored underneath your seat, and all tray tables raised and locked in, thank you!" One of the stewards announced. As much as I hated to do this, I gently shook Kyoya to wake him up.

He groaned as his steel eyes opened. He lifted his head and looked at me as I removed my head from his shoulder. "We're landing in a few minutes." Was all I said, knowing the hypotensive evil lord was present in him. Accidentally waking him up once before had scared me from ever wanting to do it again. I remained quiet for several minutes, staring out the small window, and he did the same.

"Oh, Kyoya, look! You can see the Empire State Building, and there's the Statue of Liberty over there. You can see Times Square from here too!" I pointed out each of them as best I could from the window. He was looking over my shoulder now, half asleep and half interested.

The sun was just beginning to set over the large city, and the scene would've made a perfect post card picture.

"I guess we'll go out tomorrow, it's getting late and most places will be closing," he stated, sounding a little disappointed. I chuckled, and he looked at me. "Oh, was I being funny?" He asked, an eyebrow raising.

"No, it's just that New York is the city that never sleeps, plus, it's only four-thirty. Everything will be open for a majority of the night," I assured. A very brief look of relief crossed Kyoya's face, but then he leaned back in his seat, and his glasses caught the glare of the overhead lights, erasing the look from his face.

Before we knew it, we were checked into our hotel and letting our phones charge before we left.

The room wasn't too big, only because the manager had given us a room with a queen-sized bed. But the view from the window was a decent one, overlooking several buildings, and the Chrysler Building could be seen in the distance. Very few tops of buildings could be seen.

"I suggest you bundle up, it can get very cold here, just like in Japan," I told him, pulling my red scarf and fuzzy ear muffs out. He nodded, pulling on his navy coat and white scarf, his gloves dangling from one coat pocket. "We can grab something to eat while we roam. Okay?"

I looked up at him to see he was holding my heavy, black pea jacket out for me. I slipped my arms into the sleeves before buttoning it up, and smiled kindly at him, thanking him for the gesture.

For some reason, I didn't have too much of an attitude around him. I knew I had feelings for him, though, maybe that wasn't a bad thing, considering we are to be married after college. I hoped that the attitude he had around me, different from the one he had around the Host Club members, meant he had feelings for me too.

He smiled and nodded in response. We finished bundling up before trading the warm, heated hotel room for the windy and cold city.

"So where do you wanna go first? Broadway? The Giant Toys-R-Us? Rockefeller Center?" I listed.

"Let's save Rockefeller for last. And what is a Toys-R-Us? He asked.

"I'll show you." I smiled, taking his hand, and we began our first adventure together in New York.

When we arrived at Toys-R-Us, I immediately dragged him on the Ferris Wheel. I pointed out certain sections of the store as we went around on the ride, but I could tell he was looking at me instead of the sections of toys I described.

As soon as we got off, I dragged him to my favourite part of the store, the Jurassic Park area. Kyoya was extremely startled when the massive, electronic T-Rex suddenly started moving as we came close, causing me to laugh.

Before leaving the store, I taught him how to fight with a lightsaber, and I wrapped a pink, fluffy boa around his neck in place of his scarf, teasing, "You look lovely, Mommy." I lightly pecked his cheek to make up for it, and snapped a picture before he managed to get the boa off. I quickly sent the picture to Mackenzie before stuffing my phone back into my pocket.

Outside, on our way down the street, I managed to convince him to buy a hot dog from one of the stands nearby while I got myself a cup of hot chocolate.

"You actually expect me to eat this tripe?" He asked, staring at the warm food in his hands. I sipped my chocolate, smiling at him encouragingly.

"You won't regret it," I said, this being my small act of assurance before he tentatively bit into the hot dog.

"It's not bad. Not bad at all," Kyoya nodded before taking another bite. I silently squealed and watched him for a moment, but it wasn't long before he noticed. "What?" He asked, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

"Nothing. You're just cute." I smiled, taking a sip of my hot chocolate and then giggling at the shade of pink that dusted his cheeks.

It wasn't long before we were walking the streets again. We stopped at a few stores, joked around, and just had fun.

 

(######)  
  (8:48PM EST)

"Alright, Kyoya, maybe we should head back to the hotel," I suggested, glancing at my phone for the time.

"No, there's one more thing we have to do," he insisted. Kyoya grabbed my hand and led me to a street corner where you could ride in a horse drawn buggy. A blue buggy decorated with white flowers and pulled by two black stallions came up. I went to climb in, but Kyoya suddenly pulled me back.

"Let's wait for a white one, okay?" He smiled at me and I obliged.

We watched buggy after buggy go by until there was an unfamiliar jingle as another buggy came gliding down the streets. It was the white buggy we had been waiting for.

It was large, covered in red roses, with a silver trim. The horses were a shade of pure white with silver bells strung to their harnesses and wearing feathery head pieces. Kyoya opened the door for me, going into his usual host act.

"After you, my lady." He smiled, offering his hand to help me into the vehicle. I took his hand gratefully and stepped in, having him follow shortly after.

"Where to?" The driver asked.

"Rockefeller Center, please," Kyoya instructed, and the carriage started moving.

It was amazing, watching the neon lights go by and seeing the city from the ground. My inner child was exploited to the bright lights that captivated me just the same as when I was younger.

Kyoya seemed just as entertained, but I'm not sure by what, the city or my childish antics?

We pulled up in front of the massive Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center where Kyoya helped me out of the buggy.

I was a bit surprised to see no one was around; must've been that time of night, I guess. We approached the giant piece of nature, flourishing in beauty with the various decorations that hung from the submissive branches.

"Amazing." I smiled up at the symbol of the holiday season.

"I'm very glad to be able to spend this weekend with you alone," Kyoya explained, his eyes dancing up the tree. "It's nice to be away from those idiots."

"It is!" I agreed, and chuckled. "Although, I don't know why you wanted to come with just me."

"Well, I wasn't going to be able to tell you this with everyone always around us," he explained.

"What couldn't you have told me?" I asked. Kyoya looked at me, a true smile pulling at his lips.

"I'm in love with you." Just as he admitted his feelings, it started to snow, the flakes slowly drifting down from the Byzantium purple night sky.

My mouth hung agape, bewildered at what he just said. This whole time, he had actually been falling for me, just as I had fallen for him. These past two weeks spending so much time together, watching movies; talking about our lives, interests, and family; spending brief dates away from my friends and the Club.

I was about to speak when he suddenly took my hands.

"Brittany, I know it was our parents who arranged our marriage and we didn't have a choice, but the least I can do is ask you the proper way." He got down on one knee.

"Kyoya...." I smiled, truly touched at what he was doing for me. For us.

"Brittany, you're the only woman who understands me, my logic, and who can actually make me smile and enjoy life. You're the only thing that can keep my mind off of the expectations my father has set for me. I think everything about you is beautiful, from your scars to your feisty attitude. I'm in love with you and I can't stress that enough."

He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a black felt box. He opened it to reveal the most beautiful ring I had ever seen.

The band was rose gold and covered in diamonds, and the design made it look like it was braided around your finger. A round, large diamond sat wedged between the opening of one of the braids of the band, it's fire shimmering in the moonlight and Christmas lights.

"Brittany, will you be my wife?"

My sherry brown eyes stared into his steel eyes, tears brimming my lashes. I knew I had no choice, but right now, I felt like I did. I could choose what I wanted, and I actually didn't want to say no. He was doing this for me, because he loved me. And I loved him.

"Kyoya," I started, unsure of what to say besides, "I will."

At that instant, he slipped the ring on to my left hand's ring finger. It was official.

Kyoya stood, keeping his left hand around mine. His other hand traced my jawline lovingly before he grasped my chin and softly pulling my face closer to his.

"I love you, Brittany."

"I love you too, Kyoya."

The space between us closed, our heads tilted before our lips collided. He claimed my first kiss as his own. My foot "popped" up, much like in the Princess Diaries movie.

We pulled away after a few moments and just stared at each other lovingly. He rested his forehead against mine and we stayed that way for a long time, our love and body temperature blocking out the cold of the winter and the world.

 

(######)  
Flight #5831

     Departure - December 23rd, 10:35AM (JST)

     Arrival - December 22nd, 9:35PM (EST)

 

(######)  
  (Author's POV: December 23rd, 10:29AM JST)

Honey leaned over in his seat, tugging on Sam's sleeves. When she looked at him, he asked, "Are you sure Britt-chan and Kyoya-chan will be okay with us coming to New York?"

"If not, they can just fly back to Japan," Sam replied, smiling reassuringly. "You all deserve to see New York City just as much as Kyoya does. Besides, Brittany and Kyoya have spent practically every available minute together since their first date on the 3rd, they can deal with not having some alone time for once."

 


	12. The Big Apple Martini

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyoya and Brittany find out Sam has dragged everyone (Host Club and friends) to New York, crashing their mini vacation. The girls find out about Brittany's ring, and so, the gang hits the town to celebrate!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of the Host Club characters, nor How I Met Your Mother (There's a reference to the show in here, but no spoilers, so don't worry).
> 
> Enjoy the newest chapter!!!

  (Sam's POV: December 22nd, 10:24 PM EST)

As a kid, I remember spending the holidays stuffed in a dress and stuck in my ballroom with a bunch of friends, family, and snobby people my mom knows. One year, the holidays after I turned thirteen, my dad brought me with him to New York under the pretense of showing me the company.

Scott was twenty-four at the time, already written out of the will and living on his own, but he came too. Skyler was eight and spent most of the trip on Scott's shoulders.

The tour of the company took about an hour and a half, and I made sure to give Martha, my father's long time secretary, the present my siblings and I had gotten her. The rest of the trip was spent walking around New York City, seeing the sights, and playing in the snow-covered park.

I remember the disappointment I felt last Christmas when I had to attend my mother's lavish holiday party again. The Christmas before was the best one I had ever experienced, and this year, I was excited to spend it without my mother, just like when I was thirteen.

Although, truthfully, it would've been better if I didn't have lung cancer. But I try not to complain about the things I have no control over.

Like Kyoya and Brittany, the reason we had come over. I had thought Kyoya a suspicious character from the beginning, and I had been right to suspect that everything he did was either for his own gain, or the club's. Which led me to wonder who was gaining what from all the dates Kyoya had been taking Brittany on.

Taking her to the park even though it was freezing out, going on a picnic with her, talking to her for hours on end. Kyoya always seemed around now, because if he wasn't with Brittany, the girl was recounting their latest date together.

I mean, I love Brittany, she's a close friend, but that in turn made me distrust Kyoya. If he hurt her, he was gonna be in a world of pain.

It was easy to find out what hotel the couple was staying at. The trip may have been last minute, but all one of us had to do was ask Brittany. So, when the pair walked in from the cold, covered in snow yet totally unaware of it, and Kyoya blinked at us sitting in the lobby, waiting for them, I had to smirk smugly at him.

"Guys! What are you doing here?" Brittany asked, shock and yet glee taking over on her face.

"Well, you two going on this trip reminded us that none of the other hosts had been to New York. So we hopped on the next plane," Mackenzie explained.

"Yeah," I spoke up, slinging an arm around Haruhi's shoulders, "besides, my girl Haruhi needed to see some of the sights."

Haruhi rolled her eyes at me, but didn't protest, and I laughed, cooing at her, to which she batted a hand at me. I laughed again, and she pushed me away.

"Where's the rest of the idiots?" Kyoya asked, looking at Mackenzie, Haruhi, Emily, and I. Well, he looked at the other three girls. He must have thought coming to New York was my idea, which it was, and resented me for it.

It made me wonder what he had planned for Brittany if he didn't want us to crash it. But hey, if he had something big planned, he could have just told me not to drag everyone across the world. I may not trust the guy, but at least I still respect other people's boundaries.

"Upstairs," I replied easily, leaning back. His eyes flicked to me and narrowed into almost a sneer, but he managed to keep up his cool persona. "Honey's bouncing around the room like there's no tomorrow and the twins wanted to talk privately about something," my eyes shifted from Kyoya to Emily and back. His eyebrows raised a fraction of an inch at my subtle hint.

"And Tamaki?" Brittany asked, pulling off her gloves and stuffing them in her coat pocket.

Mackenzie looked around then, as did Emily. "I don't know actually, he was here a minute ago," Kenzie said, still looking.

"Oh, he got distracted by the gift shop," I commented, pointing in said store's direction. Mackenzie excused herself to join the boy.

"What's that?" Emily asked, drawing attention to herself and then to where she was pointing. Brittany held up her hand to better display an extremely fancy ring she had on.

She blushed, flushing profoundly, and bit her lower lip. "It's, um, an engagement ring....."

"Engagement ring!?! Seriously?!!" Emily sprang up from her seat, grabbing Brittany's hand to study the ring closely. Haruhi stood to look too, gazing approvingly at it as Em gawked.

I stood as well, but didn't move to gaze at the ring, there'd be time for that later. Instead I moved next to Kyoya, arms crossed over my chest.

"Do you realize I wouldn't have gotten everyone over here if I had known you were going to propose?" I whispered to him, eyes on the girls. Mackenzie had come back with Tamaki and they both took turns gushing over the design of the ring and the size of the diamond.

"Looking back on it, I believe that would have been the best course of action to prevent this," Kyoya agreed. He pushed up his glasses. "I don't suppose I can convince you all to go back?"

I snorted, a wide smile dawning my face. "Now that's wishful thinking. Way to go, man, didn't think you could do that."

Brittany headed towards me, hand out for me to see. "What do you think, Sam?"

Instinctively, I held her hand steady while I took a look. I nodded, letting my hand fall from hers. "He did a good job picking a ring out. It looks lovely," I said. Brittany giggled at Kyoya's slightly shocked expression.

"Two compliments in less than three days, that's a new record," Brittany teased. "I thought you'd spend two weeks alone with your mom before you gave Kyoya a compliment, let alone two."

I shrugged, "Let's hope the others come down soon so I don't make it three." I cracked a smile as Brit laughed, and I moved away from her and her fiancé, smoothly saddling up to Emily and leaning on her shoulder. She smiled at me and moved to sling an arm around me.

"Kaoru just texted, says they're coming down in a few minutes. No word from Honey or Mori yet," she reported. I glanced over at the elevators, watching as one opened to reveal the silent giant and his bouncing cousin.

"No need," I gestured over at them, and Emily turned to look. "They're already here. Now we just need to wait for the twins."

 

(######)

  (December 23rd, 12:14 AM EST)

I entered the hole-in-a-wall café we had found, and acted as casually as I could with vodka in the bag I was carrying while making my way to our table. When I reached the very back of the café, where none of the waiters were, I slipped it out and set the bottle on the table.

"Really, Samantha, you stopped at Barnes & Noble?" Kyoya scoffed at me. I scowled in return.

"Sue me, I goh mo'e books. Appa'ently ya'd 'ather focus on tha' than 'he fach tha' I'm unde'age and ye' I managed ta ge' liquoh," I slurred, wondering as I talked why my tongue wasn't working the way I wanted. Kyoya picked up the bottle with a look of disdain at both the container and me.

"I see you tried some of it before you got here, judging from your speech and the bottle being lighter than I'd say it's supposed to be," the ebony scrutinized.

Emily leaned over, peering into my eyes, and I tried to swat her away, being unsuccessful as my movements were weak and jerky. "Sam! You're drunk!" She accused.

I rolled my eyes, plopping down in my seat. It was funny, I couldn't remember the last time sitting down was so jarring, and so I laughed. Kyoya lowered the bottle, saying nothing, but he didn't have to, my friends were more than willing to scold me.

"Seriously, we let you go off for half an hour and you decide to get booze?" Brittany's voice seemed condescending.

"An' books. Why is eve'yone fo'gehin' tha'?" I said, reaching for the bottle. Brit swatted my hand away.

"Aw, let her have some fun," Hikaru said, smirking at me. I stuck my tongue out at him, he did the same to me. Emily swatted his arm.

"Yeah. She's probably more fun when she's drunk," Kaoru chimed in. Emily just scowled at him, to which he shrugged sheepishly.

I pushed the bottle toward the center of the table. "I 'eally goh id fo' you guyzh. Ha'e some, Kyo-yo, it'll do ya some good," I giggled. "Kyo-yo...... tha's funnyyyy, heheheh!"

"That is!" The twins agreed in unison. Kyoya glared quietly at them, and they grinned at him from behind Emily. "Kyo-yo!" They added.

Brittany smiled slyly, "I still like Tamaki's nickname for him." Kyoya's eyes widened a fraction, and everyone laughed.

"Mommy! C'mon, Mommy! Ha'e a d'nck, jush juan!" I urged, pushing the bottle towards him.

Everyone took up the cry, "C'mon, Mommy! Just one! C'mon! C'mon, Mommy!"

The Shadow King snatched the bottle off the table and unscrewed the cap. "Just to shut you all up," he swore. We all cheered, and Mackenzie grabbed hold of my shoulder to steady me when I came close to falling off the chair. The boy took a sip, coughing as he swallowed.  
Brittany rubbed circles on his back to help calm down his coughing. She placed the bottle back on the table for him, and Kaoru snatched it up, taking a sip himself, than passing it to Hikaru, who sat on Emily's left, my right.

Speaking of my right, sitting there was Mackenzie with Tamaki's left arm hanging over her shoulders. They had gone back to ignoring the rest of us for the most part, a small bowl of ice cream sitting on the table in between them. The blonde boy was feeding spoonfuls to Kenz every so often as they talked quietly.

Across from me, Hikaru, Emily, and Kaoru talked animatedly as Em tried to get the twins to set the bottle back down. They both took several more sips from it though, passing it back and forth behind Emily's back, although it didn't look like the girl was trying hard to get the bottle away from them.

Kaoru had an arm wrapped around Emily's waist, his hand resting on her hip, and he kept looking at her like she was the cutest thing in the world. Em balanced it out by gazing at him with annoyed yet altogether loving eyes, her mouth unable to do anything but smile at him.

Brittany and Kyoya had hands clasped together on the table top, and her hand hadn't fallen from the ebony's back, still rubbing slow circles though he wasn't coughing anymore. She whispered something to him, and I could swear I saw a hint of a smile grace the fearsome Kyoya Ootori's face for a split second.

I looked away with a grimace, watching silently as one of the café waitresses came up to our table, notepad and pencil in hand.

She had long brown hair that was up and clipped back, and she had bangs long enough to reach just above her warm chocolate brown eyes. She smiled at me when she caught me staring, giggling at my gaping mouth, though I hadn't realized my mouth was hanging open like a goldfish.

Her button nose looked cuter scrunched up as she laughed at me, and her eyes twinkled in the artificial lighting. I blinked up at her when she finally reached our table and saddled up to me, hand laid gently on the back of my chair.

"We're closing up soon, folks," she announced. "It'd be best if you pay now so I don't have to worry about calling the police."

I could hear everyone behind me begin talking all at once: Brittany, Kyoya, Haruhi, and Emily discussing payment while Tamaki stood to help Kenz into her coat. The twins finished off the vodka bottle, which had started out less than half full when I produced it from my bag, and Mori silently picked up Honey, who had been in and out of sleep since I had arrived. All I could do though, was continue to stare up at the brunette who smiled down on me like a goddess.

"I'm, uh..... Sam," I mumbled, holding out my hand. The goddess shook it with that smile still on her flawless face.

"Gabrielle," she greeted, dropping her hand. "I haven't seen you around here before. Just found this place or are you new in town?"

"I like your'a face," I said. Guess you could say I hadn't heard what she said after she gave me her name. She laughed again, and it made me smile back. My head was slowly clearing up, but I was still too drunk for keeping up a conversation.

"I like yours too," Gabrielle told me. She tilted her head, like she was making a decision, and the action made her hair catch the light.

My eyes widened, "Whoa." I stood, leaning forward until I was extremely close to her. "You'ran angel......... Did it hurt?"

"Did what hurt?" She asked, amusement in her eyes as she stared back at me. I swayed a little, humming happily before leaning forward again, my nose touching hers.

"When you fell. You'ran angel," I whispered. Her eyebrows rose at my words, startling me back a few inches in my drunken state. I blinked at them, eyes lowering back to Gabrielle's when she spoke.

"Are you trying to use that cheap pickup line, Did it hurt when you fell from heaven, while you're drunk?"

I nodded, bringing a finger up to my lips. "Shhhhhhh," I swayed again, and the goddess caught me so I won't fall over, "Don't tell, I'ma noh supposed ta be drunk. I'ma underage, wha'ever tha' means."

"I won't tell," Gabrielle promised, still smiling at me. I smiled back and hugged her, sighing. She tensed in surprise, but soon hugged back, wrapping her warm arms around me.

I sighed again, a dopey smile on my face. "You smell good, like apples," I hummed, burying my nose in her updo. This time when she laughed, I could feel it more than hear it.

"Thank you, so do you," the goddess returned the compliment. She backed out of the hug, causing me to whine at the loss of the warmth and smell of apples. "Your friends are ready to go."

I frowned. "But then I'da have ta say goo'bye ta the goddess," I whined.

Now she looked confused, her smile replaced with a slight frown. "The goddess? Who's that?" She asked.

I giggled. "It's you."

Realization dawned on her, and she blushed at my words, a shy smile adorning her lovely face. I reached up with one hand to her cheek, my fingers brushing her skin.

"I love it when you smile." I smiled drunkenly back.

"Well, well, you just officially earned my number," Gabrielle said, scribbling on her notepad with her pencil. She tore off the page and tucked it into my coat pocket. "I'd like to see how well you can flirt when you're sober."

"M'kay," I replied, pecking her lips before moving away. Mori took my elbow with his free hand when I stumbled away from Gabrielle, and guided me to the front and outside where the cold stung at my face.

(######)  
  (Author's POV: Twenty-six years later)

"And that is why you should never drink," Sam said to the teenagers crowded around, each looking a different level of disgusted or bored. "Because you might meet the person of your dreams, the one you spend the rest of your life with, in the future, and you shouldn't do that drunk."

"Ooohhhh!" Gabrielle cooed, wrapping an arm around Sam. "You called me an angel and a goddess!"

"You were there!" The short-haired red head protested. Gabrielle planted a kiss on Sam's cheek.

"Yeah, but I always enjoy being reminded. It helps me remember how cute you were when we first met and you were drunk as a skunk," the waitress no more said, a wide, teasing smile splitting her face.

Sam rolled her eyes, but couldn't help the smile that crossed her lips. "I was not that drunk."

Gabrielle turned to a teenager from the group with long black hair. "It was past midnight in the café, and there was hard liquor involved, and that, is how I met your mother," she told the teen. Sam grumbled in protest and Gabrielle laughed, turning to reassure the red head, though her teasing smile remained.


	13. Secrets Unleashed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sh** just begins to hit the fan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Underage drinking, short term hospitalization, arguments between friends, and mentions of being videotaped without being aware of it.
> 
> A/N: The spiel Sam gives about her cancer in this chapter is 100% true as I have researched it. Anyone looking for more information can find it all online.

  (Sam's POV: December 23rd, 12:38 AM EST)

I stumbled along with Mori to guide me for about half a block before I stopped and turned to him, refusing to budge.

I struggled to take out my phone, but didn't drop it, and then I took out the folded piece of paper in my pocket. I dialed the number successfully after only the fourth attempt, which was a win for me.

Raising the phone to my ear, I didn't even pay attention to my friends calling my name from nearly two blocks away. I just listened to the phone ring.

"Hello?"

I sighed blissfully. Even her voice was angelic, fitting the mental image I had of her perfectly.

"I miss you, goddess," I said. I blinked to clear my blurry vision, but when that didn't work, I took out a flask full of beer, taking a big gulp.

There was a laugh at the other end. "It's only been a minute since we saw each other last," Gabrielle reminded me.

"But I miss you," I replied. "I'ma waitin' ouhside fo' you." I gulped down more of the beer.

I felt my stomach heave suddenly, and I coughed up the beer I hadn't fully swallowed, coughing.

"Sam!? Sam!"

My knees buckled, and my phone hit the ground as Mori caught hold of me. My vision blackened, and I tried my hardest not to vomit, keeping my mouth shut.

Faintly, it registered that Gabrielle, along with a blue-haired girl, had come out of the café. The brunette rushed over to help Mori keep me upright, and the blue-haired girl talked quickly on the phone. More footsteps could be heard behind me, but I slipped into the darkness before they could reach me.

 

(######)  
  (Author's POV: Later, at a nearby hospital)

"Well, we've gotten your friend intubated and her stomach decompressed," the doctor who had attended Sam reported, everyone gathered outside the redhead's hospital room, including Gabrielle and her younger sister, Gianna, the girl with the blue hair who had become close to Haruhi in the cab ride over.

"Ms. Mitchell is alright now, though she will have to stay in for more days than usual," the doctor informed the gathered group, clipboard out in front of him.

"Why's that? You just said she's alright," Brittany asked, worry written all over her features.

The doctor glanced down at his notes. "Well, we want to give her time to recover completely. With her cancer treatment having ended a few days ago, and her heavy consumption of hard liquor in a short amount of time, we want to be sure nothing bad is going to happen before you all arrive back in Japan," he explained patiently.

"What!!?" Brittany shrieked, bolting up from her seat. The group's demeanor changed suddenly, everyone concerned and completely taken aback, except for Kyoya.

The brunette pushed past the doctor and into Sam's room, Mackenzie and Emily following close behind. Gabrielle turned to the tall, dark-haired boy next to her.

"Didn't she tell you guys?" She asked. Mori shook his head silently, agitated eyes focused on the room Sam was in. The smaller blonde had tears forming in his eyes, and he hugged both Mori and his pink stuffed bunny close.

 

(######)

The three girls' abrupt entrance into the otherwise quiet room had Sam's head whipping up, eyes wide with shock.

"Why didn't you tell us you had cancer!?!" Brittany blurted out when she was well into the room, arms waving around to emphasize her words. Emily closed the door, not wanting the pending argument to disturb anyone else.

It took the bald girl several seconds to get over the initial shock and answer the question presented to her. "Because it never came up?" Sam nervously hid around her answer, though she knew it wasn't good enough.

"Don't give me that!" The brunette shouted, fists tight and eyes raging.

Emily leaned forward, a cautious hand on Sam's. "Why didn't you tell us, Sam?" She asked in a quieter, kinder voice. Her eyes were tearing up as she talked. "We're your friends. You could've told us. You could have used the support, right?"

"Don't give me those puppy eyes, of course I wanted to tell you," Sam groaned. She paused, searching for words to use. "I just......... I don't know. It was stupid of me to keep it from you. I guess I just didn't want you all to act like I was dying, and I wanted life to continue like I wasn't sick."

"It would have been nice for us to know, though," Mackenzie spoke up.

"I know, I know. I was selfish about it. I didn't want you all to worry, but I should have said something from the beginning." The cancerous girl apologized. "I just didn't want the change that came with you knowing."

"Did you at least tell your parents?" Emily asked, hand clutching at Sam's like the bald girl was dying right at that moment.

"No," Sam scoffed. "My mom would make this about her somehow, and I didn't tell my dad for the same reasons as you. Skyler has no clue either, and Scott only knows because I needed an adult to discuss treatment options with the doctors, though I could have done that myself."

"You didn't even tell your dad or little sister!!!?" Brittany yelled in disbelief. "What is wrong with you!!? They are your family! And so are we!"

"I'm sorry," Sam stressed, tears forming in her eyes.

"Sorry doesn't cut it!! You should have told us!" The brunette accused. "We would have understood, and been there to support you, and NOT have to find out from some-- third party, that you might DIE!!!!"

"I was being selfish, and I hated keeping it from you, and I'M SORRY!" Sam bit back her tears. "I don't know what else you want me to say. I didn't tell you when I found out, and you know now, but it wasn't from me, and for that I'm sorry. It's just that if you didn't know, it wouldn't have seemed as real." Sam trailed off, blinking down at the white hospital sheets of the bed.

Brittany sighed heavily, plopping down into one of the chairs in the room. She brushed stray strands of brown hair behind her ear, gazing at her friend. Mackenzie sat down as well, but Emily stayed where she was, still holding tightly to Sam's hand.

"I have adenocarcinoma in situ, which is a type of non-small cell lung cancer. It's most common in non-smokers, women, and young people, all separate statistics, of course, that just so happened to come together in the form of me," Sam began explaining steadily, still refraining from crying. "It's usually detected before spreading too far, which also applies in my case, and statistically speaking, it's the type of lung cancer that has the highest rate of survival because of the cancer's inability to spread quickly enough before detection.

"Also, Kyoya knew beforehand," Sam rushed out, flinching away from the brunette as if Brittany might hurt her.

"He did?" Mackenzie asked, surprised.

"Why?"

"You told him before you told us!!?" Brittany exclaimed, disbelief in her expression.

Sam flinched again, a guilty look crossing her face, "Technically, yes, I did."

"Why?" Emily repeated, louder this time.

"He asked, I refused, he pushed, I refused, he mildly threatened, I reluctantly relented," Sam clarified. Her three friends muttered and nodded their understanding. "Now, can someone go get Gabrielle? I think I owe her some sort of explanation."

 

(######)  
  (The Ootori Mansion - December 28th, 1:49 PM JST)

Kyoya laid across his bed, Brittany cuddled into his side, her head resting on his shoulder. It wasn't out of the ordinary that they'd get together and just lay around like this, but this time it was mostly because they had just gotten back from New York and were jet lagged.

Everyone had gone their separate ways coming back from the airport. Brittany and Kyoya had both gone back to his place, the brunette saying she wanted to help him unpack and spend some alone time with him since their trip had been crashed.

Haruhi and Mackenzie had gone out shopping for food, spurred by Haruhi's need to get her errands done, leaving Tamaki to go back to his house alone with the luggage, while Mori and Honey accompanied Sam to the hospital for her appointment. The twins had happily dragged Emily to their house with little to no protest from the light brown haired girl.

"Brittany," Kyoya spoke softly, as if not to alarm her. After all, she had looked to be nodding off. The brunette slightly craned her neck to look up at him.

"Would you like to watch a movie?" He asked, knowing how much she loved watching films with him. It meant extra time for them to cuddle close together and do nothing else.

Brittany smiled brightly, not even hesitating to get up and retrieve a movie for them to watch. She hurried to his desk, next to his computer where he kept the stack of movies, when something caught her eye. She pushed away the papers that were settled over a DVD case, staring down at the case in confusion.

The title, _Love At First Sight: Brittany & Kyoya's First Date_, was written in the Host Club's preferred font with a photo of the couple cuddled together on the couch and the TV screen showing a scene from the Empire Strikes Back.

Brittany flipped it over to look at the back casually, in case Kyoya was looking, only to see a short summary of the date, the duration time of the film, and the high price tag. She shifted more papers away with her free hand to find more DVDs of other dates they had been on.

"Hey, Kyoya, can we watch this?" Brittany asked, sounding more irritated than she'd intended. He looked up, his eyes widening from behind his glasses at what she was holding up.

At his guilty expression, she practically snarled out, "What the hell is this?"

"Brittany, it's not what it looks like-"

"Really?! 'Cause it looks like you had our dates filmed, and then sold them behind my back so you could make money for the Host Club! You don't even care about me, do you?! This whole thing was an act just so you could have something to gain in the end!" Brittany snapped, flinging the DVD down.

"No! That's not what it is! Well, I did sell the DVDs, but the more time I spent with you, the more I fell in love with you," he told her truthfully.

"That's bullshit! You just wanted this Bachelor crap to sell like crazy! Where's your camera crew?" She shouted before spinning around, her middle finger standing triumphantly in the air.

"Now, Brittany, hold on-"

"So that's what the engagement was all about? A little holiday special for the Host Club's customers?!" She yelled, taking off the ring and chucking it at him. She felt hot tears rolling down her cheeks, and her vision blurred slightly.

"Brittany, please-" Kyoya pleaded as he walked forward to comfort her.

"Stay away from me!" Brittany demanded, rushing out of his room.

Kyoya chased after her, desperately trying to catch up to her. She was too quick for him though, and she pushed away the servants as she ran by them, reaching the front door in no time. She flew past the doorway, running down the street.

The ebony stopped in the same doorway once seeing she had disappeared into the night. He looked down at the engagement ring he had caught, clutching it in a tight fist. He whipped out his cell phone and punched in a number.

"It's me." His jaw clenched. "My fiancé is missing. I need you to find her and don't stop until you do," he ordered his family's police force, hanging up without waiting for a confirmation.

His hand ran roughly through his hair as he felt a sudden jumble of emotions: anger, confusion, agony, fear. They were making his chest tighten in pain, and a lump grow in his throat that, no matter how much he swallowed, wouldn't go away.

He could feel the need to cry building up, but he kept shoving it down. It was unprofessional to cry.

Figuring it better to wait elsewhere, Kyoya returned to his room, his eyes narrowing at the disc case on the floor.

Stomping on it didn't ease the pain; neither did stomping and smashing all the other recorded dates. Not even burying the ring in its box deep inside his closet, putting it where he couldn't look at it, helped.

His chest tightened even more, and the hurt grew. The pain tormented him, making it feel like there was suddenly a gaping hole inside of him that kept getting bigger no matter what.

But above all, over everything, he just felt lost. And somehow, doesn't matter that it was illogical, he knew he would cease to feel lost when Brittany came back.


	14. When The World Breaks Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sh** hits the fan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: There is active CUTTING in the beginning of the chapter!! There is an asterisk at the beginning of the scene, if this is TRIGGERING to you, starting from the asterisk, skip to the first (######) and continue on. Both the asterisk and the scene break are in bold for your convenience.  
>  Also, one of the characters gets into a car crash, and altogether, this chapter is extremely emotional. Proceed with caution.

  (Brittany's POV: December 29th, 9:57 AM JST)

I had somehow made my way to a small, empty park in the midst of the emotional whirlwind I was experiencing. I didn't pay attention to my surroundings as I sank on to a park bench, a new round of tears blurring my vision.

I wiped at the wetness on my cheeks uncaring, hiccuping as I continued to sob. It seemed endless by now.

He had planned everything. All our dates and outings had been planned out and recorded just so the club could make another buck. My hands clenched into fists, yet again, at the realization.

He didn't care about me in that way, in the way I had blindly cared about him. He only thought of me as something he could use to make an easy buck; I was just some thing he would tolerate for the rest of his life to please his father! I meant absolutely nothing to him!

My anger melted at that thought. My mind turned back on the dates and the personal things I told him, and especially, the trip to New York.

My stomach felt nauseous and twisted in knots at the same time. Anxiety washed over me as my stomach lurched, and my heart fluttered at the mere thought of the New York trip.

He had properly proposed that first night. It had been the best day, romantic and honest on my end. He had been a true gentleman, and had even thought of my feelings on the arranged marriage situation, giving me a ring he knew I'd love.

It had snowed as he proposed, I remembered, sobbing and hiccuping. He had put his heart out, had gotten down on one knee, had showed how he cared through all his planning to make sure the moment was perfect.

And now I realized it was all fake. He had probably filmed his proposal too. I bit back my disgust. The care, the sincerity, even the recent tolerance of Sam was fake. His feelings toward me were nothing but wishful thinking on my part. He was just in it for the money.

My stomach heaved again, but I ignored it, bitterly peering down at the snow surrounding my feet.

Because for once, I thought he'd be different from the boys that tried to date me. I had actually let myself blindly think he was genuine in his feelings. I believed he cared and had fallen in love with me as I had him.

Was this really how he saw me? Just as a way to make more money? An expendable pawn in the one thing that mattered most in his life: earning millions for the club? I bit my lower lip, nearly breaking skin.

He didn't care when I became a hostess, bringing in the males of the academy, widening the audience the Host Club catered to. He didn't care about me or my feelings when he saw the opportunity to exploit our dates to increase sales.

 

*****

 

It was all for the end goal to impress his father. My temper boiled, and I gripped tighter to myself, my arms now wrapped around me and my fingernails digging into some of my old scars.

My cutting addiction flared to the front of my mind in the clutter of raging thoughts. As if in I daze, I drafted to a convenience store and bought a pack of razors.

My mind felt separated from my now numb body, and I dimly noted I was back on that bench in the snow-covered park. I had stopped shivering underneath my long-sleeved shirt and jeans, but goosebumps did rise on my arms as I rolled up my sleeves.

I bit my lip when making the first cut; I hadn't done this since I met Sam and Emily, that event being over a year ago now. Silent tears stole down my cheeks as I continued making tentative cuts.

Sam had known right off the bat that something was off about Kyoya. She had told me plenty of times to tread lightly because he seemed too calculating to be capable of real emotions. Emily had been weary of Kyoya only because Sam was extremely cold around him, but had still worried about my feelings when Kyoya and I had begun to go out more.

Mackenzie was cautious around the Vice President because of his harsh gaze and the sharp, unforgiving air around his person. She skirted around him, avoided eye contact, and maintained a safe distance of 50 feet away from him at all times.

I was useless for not noticing their reactions to him. Too stupid to see the truth that lay beneath. I was naive and a hopeless case for thinking he loved me.

The blade dug deep into me as my thoughts continued rage around my head. I began to slice deep horizontal lines across the visible, blue veins. Blood quickly rushed out, and I felt light-headed immediately.

Dully, I wondered if Sam felt this way when she had blacked out. Disconnected, detached from herself, and unaware of anything else around her.

All too quickly, the world darkened around the edges, quickly fading completely away.

 

**(######)**

  (Author's POV: The Ootori Mansion - 10:14 AM JST)

Kyoya was stretched out on his bed, facing up with his glasses next to his head and a frown etched on to his face. Even with his steel eyes closed, the two officers entering the room were fearful of the boy. Rumor was, the youngest Ootori was never happy when woken up.

One of the officers cleared his throat loudly, hoping it was enough to wake the boy, but no such luck. He was doomed to wake the boy another way.

Inching forward, the officer reached out and shook Kyoya awake. The teen's eyes glared lasers at the officer as he sat up.

The second officer by the door left in a hurry upon witnessing that glare, and the first officer wished he could follow, but he stood his ground, fearfully.

"What."

"Uh....." The officer cleared his throat and straightened. "We've located Ms. Brittany, sir."

Immediately, Kyoya's demeanor changed. He shot out of bed, hands grabbing the officer's shirt collar, eyes wide with concern and worry. "What?!"

The officer sputtered out nonsense, surprise stealing away his words.

Kyoya shook the man, his frown deeply etched on his face. "Where is she!!! Tell me!!"

The officer finally got out the name of the hospital, his hands shaking in the presence of the Shadow King's anger.

Kyoya pushed away the man and stormed out, the only anger left aimed at himself.

She needed to be safe, he told himself. Otherwise........; he didn't know what would happen if she wasn't, but she had to be. Kyoya had never felt emotions like this before.

 

(######)

  (Mackenzie's POV: The Suoh Mansion - 10:47 AM JST)

To be honest, with how attentive Tamaki is, I expected him to be on the other side of the door when I came in to put snacks in the kitchen for Sam and Emily. When he wasn't, I felt slightly confused and uneasy, but continued on to my room to unpack and put away what I had bought.

The silence was jarring now. After spending so much time with the Host King, I had unknowingly become accustom to his constant chattering and brass presence.

But diligently, I put everything away, tucking presents for my family in an empty dresser drawer for a later date.

Time passed slowly, and when I was done, I sat on the lavish couch in the living room, facing the gigantic television set, and waited for someone to arrive.

I sighed, turning the television on, knowing it'd be a while for them to come back. Sam was in the hospital, getting prepared for her surgery, so she wasn't coming back for a few days for recovery. And while Emily was only at the twins' house, I knew they would keep her there for as long as possible.

I jumped in my seat when my phone began to ring. Muting the tv, I picked up my phone.

"Hello--?" His voice came through the speaker loudly before I could even finish talking.

"Princess!! Mackenzie!!! Where are you?! Are you okay?! I'm so, so sorry, we completely forgot to call you!!!"

I was tempted to cringe away from the loud sound vibrating in my ear, but I didn't in favor of focusing on his words. He was still talking, words incoherent in his frenzy.

"--Wait, wait. Tamaki, slow down and explain what's happening. I can't underst-"

"Brittany's in the hospital! She was brought in a while ago and we forgot to inform you in the chaos of it...." His words grew further apart and his tone died down from frenzied and excited.

I felt hurt at the fact that my friends had forgotten me again, but it was immediately overshadowed by the fact that _Brittany_ was in the _hospital_. She wouldn't have been there unless she was visiting Sam.

It didn't sound like she was visiting.

"Tamaki," I said slowly, bracing myself for the worst. "What happened to her?"

It felt like an eternity before he answered; the static and noise on the other side of the phone stretching out until Tamaki said the words made the world plummet from underneath me.

"She tried committing suicide...."

It was all a blur after that, really. I vaguely remember dropping my phone and somehow making it outside to the car, pushing away servants as I went.

Getting in and putting the key in the ignition, I noted somehow I had gotten the keys without realizing what I was doing. The thought quickly vanished from my head, however. My only goal now was to get to the hospital as fast as I could.

Barely remembering to put the car in reverse, the car squealed out of the driveway and on to the road, the vehicle sputtering backwards once more before I jerked the gear back into drive.

I hit the gas, hard.

Flying down countless streets and skirting around numerous cars, honking at anyone and everyone as I went, a small part of me was worried I'd get pulled over.

I didn't have a license, Japanese or American. I had failed my driving test three times so far. No matter how much I studied for it, I always failed to do something right.

The other car came out of nowhere. Straight into mine, well, the Suoh's. A head on collision, and in my haste to get to the hospital, I had forgotten my seat belt.

I sailed through the windshield, my head crashing into the opposite car's windshield but not going through.

 

(######)

  (Author's POV - Hospital)

Tamaki had been pacing the length of the emergency room multiple times since he had first arrived. Emily had given up trying to get him to stop, so had most of the nurses, but she watched to make sure he didn't get himself worked up too much. Or, at least, more worked up than he already was.

"Senpai, don't you think you should sit down?" Haruhi asked, doubtful he'll listen but feeling like she needed to try anyway.

"Where is she?!?!!" He exploded, not even hearing the younger girl. He regarded the door, looking past the crowd surging in and out. "She, just, stopped talking after I told her, and now, she could be anywhere and I wouldn't even know!!!!"

He paced some more. Emily sighed, leaning her head on Kaoru's shoulder. The boy slid an arm around her shoulders, gently kissing the top of her head. On her other side, Honey frowned and hugged her, Emily lifting her arm to lay it on the older's back.

It was silent in their corner of the room, no one willing to say anything that might upset Emily.

More paramedics rushed in, rolling in someone on a gurney. No one in the group paid any attention to them; it had been going on all morning and was nothing new. That is, not until Tamaki cried out, pushing forward to meet them.

"Mackenzie!" He ignored the paramedics and nurses talking to him, some trying to get him away from the gurney. "Princess, what happened?" Tears gathered in his eyes, and one nurse finally managed to pull him away, leaving the gurney, and it's occupant, to be rolled into another room.

New shock ran through the group, and Emily joined in with Tamaki, crying now from worry over two of her dearest friends getting hurt.


	15. When The World Breaks Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sh** gets slightly better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Host Club characters, just the plot and my OCs.
> 
> I hope you all have enjoyed this story. The last chapter will be published shortly, hopefully not too long from now. Until then, feel free to tell me what you've thought about the story in kudos and/comments.

  (Author's POV: December 29th, 5:07 PM JST)

Sam exited the room, face looking paler than usual and her grip tight on the armrests of her wheelchair. Technically, she wasn't supposed to be out, having come out of surgery a few hours before, but when she had heard the news, she had insisted nonstop to be allowed to see her friends. When the nurses still refused, she had snuck out, the feat proving easier than anyone thought.

She glared straight ahead as she stopped in the middle of the hallway, eyes not meeting his, and for the first time since the fight, Kyoya wasn't focused solely on Brittany.

Secretly, though he'd never admit it to even himself, he was a little worried at what Sam would do; at what she would say to him.

Goes to show he must have been shaken up real bad with this fight if he was worried about Sam's actions or words.

"They found her on a park bench," Sam began steadily, growling out the words through clenched teeth, "bleeding from cuts all over her arms, and when I asked her what happened to cause her to do this, something she hasn't done in over a YEAR!! She said, NOTHING!!" The cancerous girl's eyes blazed with fury, and Kyoya was stunned long enough for Sam to continue. "You bastard! What the FUCK did you do to her?! You had no right, whatever it was!"

He opened his mouth to speak, but Sam held up a hand, stopping him. "You know what? I don't honestly think I want to know. Obviously, if it's too awful for her to tell me, and it made her start cutting again, I'd have to kill you and would be charged for murder, quite possibly getting the death penalty."

The ebony briefly wondered at her comment. She must have looked at Japanese law, either for fun or so she could show Kyoya, when she threatened him, that she was aware of the punishment and still not afraid to go through with her threat, if need be. She seemed very certain she'd get the death penalty, even though she was only planning on killing him, and she also looked very determined to go through with it.

It was silent for a beat, and then Kyoya said, "I never meant to hurt her."

He hoped she won't find anything in his expression that would say otherwise. He really didn't mean it, didn't plan for it, and was frustrated to no end that he let it happen.

"But you're not sorry for what you did to cause this?" Sam asked, staring directly at him, hard eyes studying his every move.

Kyoya shook his head slowly, wondering if his answer would end in his untimely demise at the hands of a bald girl in a wheelchair. Somehow, the visual wasn't satisfying.

"You're sorry for hurting her, for her finding out, but not for whatever it was you did? _Obviously_ you never meant for her to find out." A nod this time from the ebony.

"I didn't know she would find one of the videos. I thought I had gotten rid of them all," he reasoned, straightening in his seat.

"I can't believe you!" He started, eyes widening at Sam's sudden outburst. Her eyes narrowed, if that was even still possible. "I understand your feelings for her changed since we got here, but did you ever think maybe finding out about those videos would hurt her on a more personal level? Because it sounds to me like you didn't take into account her feelings for you or that you might even develop feelings for her."

It surprised him when Sam could not only understand the situation, but could also make him feel guiltier about his actions than he already was. She must have seen this, for she straightened herself and turned her head away from him.

Quietly, she said, "I should go. I still need to see Mackenzie, and hopefully Tamaki's gonna talk my ear off, scolding me for exerting myself like this."

Before she rolled away though, she glanced at the Shadow King, sitting there with concern in his features. His brow furrowed and eyes trained on Brittany's room, she sighed. "She'll cool down eventually, but she's stubborn. Don't expect forgiveness," Sam told him.

"I don't."

 

(######)

  (Emily's POV: December 31st, 6:24 AM JST)

It was less than half an hour till sunrise as I walked back to the hospital. There was some light out, enough for me to see the sidewalk and the outlines of the buildings I passed.

The twins had dragged me away from the hospital hours ago so I could sleep in an actual bed, though I didn't want to leave any of my friends' sides. I had stayed by Mackenzie's side the most, Brittany not wanting company, even though that's what she needed the most, and Sam insisting on making sure the blonde was okay.

Sam stayed with Mackenzie and I until the nurses made her go back to her room to get rest at one in the morning, and I managed to stay until around three, when the twins dragged me back to their house so I could rest.

Sleep was fitful for me, worry and nerves keeping me from sleeping soundly. I tossed and turned, drifted in and out of an uneasy sleep, and left their house only minutes ago.

Not wanting to disturb the twins or anyone else in the house, I had slipped out the front and began walking.

Now, I was sure the hospital was close by, and I quicken my pace, looking forward to seeing my friends again.

Out of nowhere, a man stepped in front of me, gun hidden in the shadows of his body but pointed toward me. His face was hidden in shadows as well, due to his wide-brimmed hat and turned up collar.

"Give me your wallet," he said, voice gruff. "And no funny business."

Eyes wide and adrenaline beginning to pump through my veins, I stuttered out,  
"I-I-I, d-don't have a-any m-mon-money." A quick look around confirmed what I had thought before: the street was barren except for the two of us. I took a tentative step back.

The unknown man lashed out and grabbed my face with his free hand, bringing me back. His gloved fingers dug into my face, hard enough to leave bruises. The gun was still leveled at me, closer than before.

"Give me your money," he said slowly, making sure I understood every word.

Hands up, I repeated, "I-I re-really d-don't --" His hand dropped from my face, and he backhanded me with the gun. The sheer force of it knocked me backwards several steps, but the guy followed to strike me again, this time with his free hand.

"I don't -- please......" I wasn't able to finish begging as I was interrupted by a gunshot.

I couldn't react properly to the pain stinging my shoulder, fear causing me to bite back the tears as well as my scream of agony. I knew neither would do me any good.

"I said," the mugger started again, voice steady. "Give me your money."

It was hard to hear him with the ringing in my ears, but I did hear the click of him reloading the gun, signaling the next bullet being pushed into the chamber.

I sniffed and let the tears pour out as I reached down slowly, thinking maybe if I showed him my empty pockets, he'd leave me alone.

My fingers had barely slipped into the first pocket when I heard the sirens. My head whipped up and around, but the movement was a little too fast for me and everything went blurry. I suddenly felt like I was submerged in water and everything became a daze.

Blinking hard to clear up my vision, all I could see was the haze of flashing blue and red, a police car and an ambulance, coming towards us. It was hard to say how much time had passed since the gunshot, and I kept blinking even as I felt the world around me sway harshly.

I heard screeching tires and pounding feet coming toward me on the pavement before everything went black.

 

(######)

  (Author's POV: December 31st, 11:37 PM JST - Hospital)

Save for Brittany and Kyoya, everyone was gathered in Mackenzie's room on the last day of the year, chairs set up in a semi-circle around the tv, which was broadcasting New York's New Year's Eve ball drop.

Many different conversations were overlapping each other, making the room one of the noisiest on that level of the building. The tv was blasting music and commercials, but most of the room's occupants were paying attention to the riotous overlap of words and laughter that filled the air.

Haruhi sat on the outer part of the semi-circle, headphones plugged into Kyoya's laptop, talking to Gianna, the blue-haired waitress from New York. The host had spent much of that night talking to the waitress, and they had eagerly exchanged numbers before the night was over.

Tamaki was doting on Mackenzie, had been since the accident, in between talking with her and watching the television. Emily had been patched up hours before and was now sitting between the twins, who had not let her out of their sight since the incident, and was talking with them and Sam, who sat in front of the group with her back to the tv.

".....you talked to your family yet?" Hikaru asked the girl facing him. She studied the floor, a guilty look on her face.

"Sam! You need to tell them!" Emily scolded, opening her arms to hug Honey. He bounded away to Haruhi upon seeing the four were having a serious conversation.

Sam looked up quickly at Em's words, eyes wide. "No, no, no! I told them!" She chuckled, half nervous, "Heh, I swear I told them."

"And?" Emily asked.

The cancerous girl looked toward Haruhi, staring at the computer in her lap.

"And nothing. My dad scolded me for not mentioning it sooner, and then insisted he'd pay for the rest of my treatment. He refused to let up on the issue until I agreed, and Skyler only got upset because she thought I was going to die like our great aunt." Sam was smiling fondly when she mentioned her sister.

"What about your mom?" Kaoru pushed.

"I didn't tell her."

"Why not?"

Sam leveled a soft glare at the twin, huffing sharply and then coughing. When she recovered, she explained, "My dad asked the same question, and I told him I wasn't planning on it. You don't know until you've met her but she's not the nicest, especially when it comes to illnesses in my family."

Emily nodded in agreement. "The last time Sam was sick, I came over to spend time with her, and the entire time, her mother was on the phone with relatives and friends going on and on about how bad it was. She kept over exaggerating Sam's symptoms and complaining about how whiny Sam was being, when Sam was actually ignoring her mother.

"She also had the servants waiting on us, but kept telling her friends how nice she was being, bringing Sam whatever she needed despite how demanding Sam was."

"Yeah, see? I only had a cold, and spent the day in my room with Emily, not asking for anything, and my mother twisted it so I was the bad guy and she was the victim for all her stuck-up friends and family." Sam shook her head. "She's a terrible mother and woman. My only regret moving here is that I'm leaving my younger sister with her."

Haruhi spoke up, "Sam?" Said girl turned. "Gabrielle wants to talk."

Emily laughed as the twins made kissing noises to tease the girl. She stuck her tongue out at them, then stood to switch seats with Haruhi, who moved Sam's seat next to Mackenzie's bed so she could watch the show.

Sam unplugged the headphones, smiling at the screen, "Hey, Gabby! How are you?"

"The real question is how are you? How'd the surgery go?"

"Tamaki, you don't have to adjust my pillows. I'm fine, really," Mackenzie said, hand placed over Tamaki's. The blonde smiled at her, nodding and sitting back down. He kissed the back of her hand gently, and she smiled back.

"The ball's about to drop, guys!" Emily hollered, grabbing everyone's attention. "One more minute!"

Everyone was talking over each other as they watched the countdown begin.

"You think next year will be better, Haruhi?"

"Of course, Honey-senpai. Next year will be amazing."

"I'll talk to my parents about the engagement. The guy I'm engaged to likes someone else, and I don't like him that way, nor can I imagine spending my life with him."

"We'll just talk to our parents. I'm sure with you being twins it won't matter too much. At least, I hope it doesn't."

"Are you sure you're comfortable, princess? Do you want to sit up some more?"

Laughter. "I'm good, but I'll let you know if that changes, alright?"

"Seven seconds!" Honey announced.

"Five!" Exclaimed the whole room, their collective voice spilling past the closed door and out into the hallway.

"Four!" Tamaki, Mackenzie, and Honey hollered, joined by Mori who grumbled the number.

"Three!" Shouted Hikaru, Kaoru, and Em; the three of them tangled together.

"Two!" Sam and Gabby agreed, laughing.

"One!" Finalized Haruhi. Hugs and kisses were exchanged around, Sam sending an air kiss to Gabrielle before logging off. Everyone was smiling and congratulating everyone else on another year gone by.

"Happy New Year!"


	16. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nineteen years in the future, life is looking very good for everyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the last official chapter to my story. I sincerely hope you all liked it. I might post some one-shots set in this universe, but school's been busy so far, so I'll have to see how that goes. If anyone is interested, stay tuned! If not, thank you so much for all the hits and kudos and comments this story's gotten. I appreciate it all so much!  
>  Until next time ;)

(Sam’s POV: 19 years later)

I sat down on the hardwood floor of my small living room, my legs crossed and my back against the ottoman placed in the center of the room. I inhaled slowly, and let it out at the same pace. I gazed around the crowded room, and began.

“I didn’t know if it was coincidence, or just old-fashion, rotten luck on our part, and I still don’t know for sure now. It had started out simple enough: just go to a Japanese school until you get transferred back, but it progressed into something more much faster than any of us would have liked. Honestly, I can’t put blame on someone even if I wanted to, it’d end up badly if I did anyway, but I can’t say no one’s to blame either.

“I guess, you could say, it was fate, destiny really. Meaning, this chain of events was meant to happen whether we wanted it to or not, and trust me when I say this, none of us wanted this--”

“Honestly, Sam, stop being so pessimistic,” Emily scolded me. “I think you should start out with something more hopeful sounding.”

“Yeah, or just a bit upbeat,” Brittany added.

I growled at them both, “I’ll do this the way I want to. We all agreed I was to narrate the first part of the story, and this is how I’m starting.”

“What about us?” Tamaki asked, leaning forward. “Aren’t you going to mention any of the Host Club members?”

I reached out and flicked his nose, causing him to yelp out his disapproval and lean back, grumpily rubbing his nose. I fixed my hard gaze on him.

Through clenched teeth, I repeated slowly, “I’ll do this the way I want to. This is how I’m starting.”

“Yes, but I must agree with Emily and Brittany on this. The beginning should be told in a way that keeps in mind the audience you’re telling the story to,” Kyoya spoke up, looking at me rather pointedly. I rubbed the bridge of my nose, groaning before dropping my hand.

“I’m fairly certain  **_no one_ ** should be complaining unless I start cursing left and right!” I replied.

“Maybe she’s going somewhere positive with this, Em,” Kaoru suggested, slipping his hand into Emily’s.

“Thank you!” I exclaimed, pointing at him and looking at my friends expectedly.

“Were you?” Hikaru asked.

My shoulders slumped down. “No…..”

“Is there more cake?” Honey interrupted the conversation, standing up with his empty plate. I nodded, pointing to the kitchen.

“There’s a pre-cut piece of the one you brought waiting for you, and then that’s it, Honey. You’re not eating a cake that’s supposed to serve over ten people by yourself,” I told him. He nodded with a slight pout, and headed for the kitchen.

“Years later, and that’s still the one thing he focuses on,” Brittany mused, chuckling a little.

“I don’t blame him,” Mackenzie passed her dirty plate to her husband, who placed it on the lamp stand next to the armchair, “he always manages to find the best cakes whenever he visits.”

Kyoya swooped to pick some stray crumbs up off the floor before my black cat, Nyx, could get to them. The cat looked up at the middle-aged ebony, then turned to the ever silent Mori, hopping up into his lap and settling down as he began to pet the cat’s black fur coat.

“Can we not talk about cake and stay focused? We’re still recording, you know,” Sam huffed, annoyed.

“Calm down,” Haruhi instructed with a chuckle. “Don’t get so worked up.”

Honey came back with his cake already halfway done, and sat back down on the floor at Mori’s feet.

“I can’t help it. Work’s been really stressful, and I have writer’s block. Major writer’s block,” I groaned, rolling my shoulders back as I leaned my arms on the ottoman behind me. “Plus, Gabby’s visiting family, and Jasper has a bunch of activities I need to drive her to,  **_and_ ** , I have idiots working for me!” I huffed out another sigh.

“I have writer’s block too,” Emily commented, trying to be helpful. “Though mine has more to do with final exams coming up. I’m just as busy as my students are.” I frowned, closing my eyes so I wasn’t tempted to glare.

“Actually, I’m going to take a nap. I feel a headache coming on. We can record another day, later, or you guys can record a different part yourselves,” I decided, standing up. I headed for my bedroom, carefully stepping past the kids sleeping in the second bedroom of the apartment. Crawling under the covers, I buried myself in a burrito of blankets, reflecting on the major events of the past nineteen years as I lay there.

Somehow, Kyoya had gotten Brittany to forgive him. None of us ever knew how exactly he managed it, but he did. He was different, though, afterward. More unsure around Brittany, especially if he thought he did something wrong.

They had gotten married eight years ago, wanting to wait until after college so they didn’t have to deal with the stress of school and starting a family. Although, recently they had started trying and Brittany had now been with child for several months.

Emily and Kaoru were expecting as well, though they did already have a six-year-old, named Aiko, to care for, unlike Brittany and Kyoya. Brittany had gone into the veterinary practice and Emily worked hard as an English professor at Ouran University, while Kyoya had inherited Ootori Medical from his father. Kaoru worked with his brother, them both running their mother’s business and dealings in the fashion world.

The twins and Emily had managed to rearrange the engagement before Emily’s third year at Ouran Academy had ended, and now, she and Kaoru had been married for seven years. These past four years had been nice, as I had had more time to see Em, my oldest friend. What with her finishing her doctorate degree before then, it had been hard for her to visit friends or even talk on the phone for long.

Mackenzie and Tamaki had been happily married for almost ten years now, and had six-year-old twins, two boys named Rhys and Jack Suoh. Tamaki was eventually confirmed as the heir of the Suoh family, which we all celebrated with a huge gathering, and he traveled frequently due to his job. Meanwhile, Mackenzie spent most of her time at her home/studio as a semi well-known artist, who struggled for some success from time to time.

Honey had been married to a nice, quiet girl from Ouran Academy, named Reiko Kanazuki, who had been part of this dark magic club Tamaki was afraid of during school, almost twelve years ago now. It had been quite a surprise for me because I didn’t really expect him to marry sooner than those who were engaged to be married since high school, but he did. Reiko was rather nice, though Tamaki didn’t like her too much, plus she always put up with our crazy, so she was automatically okay in my book.

Kaoru hadn’t married yet, and neither had Mori, really, but Haruhi had married Gianna Canzonieri, the blue-haired waitress from the New York café from years and years before. They had only been married for two years, the long distance between them taking its toll on their relationship throughout the years.

But, now, their marriage was working, Haruhi having moved to the US after they were married, and they were expecting as well. They lived out in Oregon, but visited often, as did the rest of the group, for everyone but Haruhi and I were living in Japan.

I married Gabrielle, my goddess and datefriend since our first meeting nineteen years ago. We’ve owned several pets over the years, including our current resident cat, Nyx, and recently, we had gone through the lengthy process of adopting our foster child of two years, Jasper.

Gabrielle worked at a local middle school as an art teacher, and I worked several different jobs, having taken over my father’s company, but also having the time to work at our town’s public library and occasionally help Haruhi manage the accounting books at her law firm. Emily and I also wrote in our free time, always calling the other up for advice or just to bounce ideas off each other. Sometimes, Brittany and Mackenzie would join in our discussions, inputting their thoughts and suggestions as well.

I smiled at the thought of our group, still together despite how many years have gone by and how much has happened to us. Drifting off to sleep, I speculated, however briefly I could, on the events yet to come.

 

(######)  
 (Sam’s POV: The day Manami Hotaru Ootori was born)

“Rhys, what did I tell you about your mom’s skirt? Don’t let your brother talk you into wearing it over your head,” I said, kneeling down to wipe away the boy’s tears. “If you want to wear the skirt so badly, wear it properly. Having it cover your eyes will make you crash into the furniture again.”

I helped him fix the skirt then picked him up, setting him on the couch. Rhys’s brother, Jack, dashed by, almost making me fall. “The cat is not friendly with little kids, Jack, stop chasing her!” I shouted after him.

As Nyx ran by again, with the six-year-old on her heels, I scooped her up, ignoring her claws digging into me. Rhys stood on the couch and tried to reach up to pet the cat, but she hissed and batted a paw at the dirty blonde, causing him to shy away.

“I wanna pet da kitty! I wanna pet da kitty!” Rhys hollered, bouncing. I began to pet Nyx myself, trying to calm her down.

“Sorry, Rhys. Nyx isn’t feeling well. Maybe later,” I told him. He dropped like a poorly watered plant and pouted, a habit from his father.

Locking Nyx in the master bedroom, I spotted Aiko and Jasper fighting as I passed the Jasper’s room.

“Aiko!” Jasper whined, trying to take back the superhero action figure the brunette had picked up.

“I wanna play with it! Stop!” Aiko protested, holding the toy out of Jasper’s reach. I groaned, ignoring, for now, Jack running past me in search of something that had caught his eye.

“Jasper, you’re older than they are, you need to set a better example. Share the toys you two or neither of you can play with them,” I said.

“But that’s my favorite one!” Jasper softly whined.

“Akio, give Jay her toy back. She has others you can play with, and you brought some yourself,” I gently told the six-year-old. Jasper grabbed the action figure away, causing Aiko to cry, but before I could straighten out the situation, the phone rang.

“Can you get that, darling?! I’m busy with the cake!” Gabrielle shouted from the kitchen.

I picked up the cordless phone and pressed the call button. “Hello?”

_ “Hey,” _ Emily greeted,  _ “Just called to check on you and the kids.” _

“I’m here with three six-year-olds and a ten-year-old who doesn’t act her age,” I deadpanned, my eyes following Jack as he ran in front of me, a Lego Star Wars spaceship in his hand. “But no one’s hurt, so we’re good so far.”

Emily chuckled.  _ “That’s good to hear.” _

“How’s Brittany doing?” I asked, turning my gaze back to Jasper and Aiko. Still fighting over the toys, Aiko had tear tracks on their cheeks and Jasper was using her fake authority, being four years older than Aiko, to get her toys back.

_ “Going into her fourth hour since going into labor, but holding out. We all know she’s been through worse,” _ Emily reported.  _ “Tamaki’s been pacing the room since we got here, and Mackenzie’s spent her energy reassuring him. Kyoya’s been in there with Brit the whole time, but it shouldn’t be long now until we have another addition to the family.” _

I laughed quietly at the visual of Tamaki’s worry played out in my head. Even before he was an actual father, he always acted like a concerned parent. Jack was suddenly standing on the ottoman, shouting at the top of his lungs, and his brother joined in, banging his feet on the floor as he jumped.

I brought the phone away from my ear and shouted, “Rhys! Jack! I’m on the phone! Stop yelling and jumping around or no cookies after lunch!” Immediately, they stopped, and I brought the phone back up, glaring at them as they stared back.

_ “We’re really sorry to leave you and Gabrielle with the kids,” _ Em apologized. I instantly began to protest, but she cut me off right away. She sounded weary as she continued,  _ “If this lasts any longer, I’ll send Mori over. He and Honey have always been good with the kids.” _

“Yeah, because Mori’s a jungle gym and Honey’s a natural when it comes to kids,” I said, chuckling. “But that sounds great. Can you send them over at around naptime? The kids get all rowdy after they wake up.”

A crash sounded in another room, and Jasper shrieked, “Mommy! Daddy! They’re wrecking my room!!”

“Jack!” I shouted. Sighing deeply, I brought the phone back to my ear.

_ “-sounds like they’re already rowdy.” _ This time, Emily was laughing,  _ “I’ll send Mori and Honey over right away.” _

I thanked her, hung up, and set down the phone before storming to Jasper’s room. “That’s it! Somebody’s getting punished!”

The whole room went silent at my words, the chaos stopping mid-action, and Gabrielle appeared beside me, her gentle hands resting on my arm and shoulder. It was tense for several moments, and just as I opened my mouth to talk, the phone rang.

Gabrielle rushed to pick it up, not wanting to leave the kids with me at the moment. She greeted the caller, then reached out, phone extended in her hand for me to take, a bright smile gracing her lips.

“Hello?”

_ “Brittany did it!!” _ Emily exclaimed, sounding breathless.  _ “You and Gabby better get over here with the kids quick.” _

“We’ll be there,” I ended the call and handed the phone back to Gabrielle. “Alright, if everyone can get ready and in the car in less than ten minutes, no one gets punished!” That statement spurred everyone into action, with my wife and I helping the kids gather their toys and get their coats and shoes on.

When we had arrived at the hospital, a nurse escorted us through the maze of hallways and into the already crowded room in which Brittany was occupying. She had a bundle of blankets in her arms, cooing down on it even as the kids came up to look. Kyoya stood on the other side of her, trying and failing to hide the small, but proud, smile that graced his lips whenever he looked at his wife and newborn.

The kids seemed fascinated by the baby, and I couldn’t help the smile that formed on my face at the sight of everyone here. I refrained from laughing at the fact that soon it’d be Haruhi’s turn, and then Emily’s, again.

When the kids had calmed down, somewhat, Brittany looked up, spotting me and smiling. Then she gazed around the room at all of us, eyes sparkling.

“Guys, say hello to Manami Hotaru Ootori,” she said.

When I finally managed to get up to the bed, I smiled at Brittany, who smiled back, and I gazed down at the baby. Big brown eyes stared back at me, and I waved, grinning.

“Hello, Manami Hotaru,” I greeted, “I hope you like it here in our world. Though, I’m sure your parents are going to try their hardest to help you accommodate.”

 

(######)  
 (Sam’s POV: After the birth of Sarah Fujioka-Canzonieri)

Four months after Brittany had Manami Hotaru, Haruhi had gone into labor. Out in Oregon. We all gathered afterward to meet Sarah Fujioka-Canzonieri, Haruhi and Gianna’s baby.

As Kyoya and Brittany were now parents, they stayed in Japan, but Skyped us after the baby had been born. Of course, everyone else who could flew out to see the newest addition to the family. This time, even my brother and his husband of almost seventeen years came with their kids and dogs.

“Scott! What a surprise….” I joked, smiling and standing to wrap the man into a hug. I drew back and turned to hug Kevin, Scott’s husband, and then all their kids. “Wow, you guys, you’ve all grown so tall since I last saw you!”

Kevin made his way around the room, greeting everyone as he went. Victor, the youngest of the three children, ran over to join Jasper, who was playing on her Nintendo 3DS. Wren and Mary, the oldest of all the kids here, stayed together, both holding one leash in their hands. On the other ends of the leashes stood Smoky and Misty, the family’s black Labradors.

Scott looked around, “We seem to be missing a few people.”

“Oh, yeah. Haruhi’s taking a nap, along with the baby. Tamaki and Mori are away on business, and Brittany and Kyoya have a newborn to take care of, so they stayed back at home. Emily also stayed at home because she’s in her last trimester, and the doctor doesn’t want her flying out at this stage. And the house only seems empty because all the kids are outside, playing,” I informed him.

He turned toward Wren and Mary, telling them, “Why don’t you take Smoky and Misty outside? The kids would love to see them again.” The two kids went silently, the dogs following along happily.

“How old are they now?” I asked.

“Wren just turned fifteen, Mary’s fourteen, and Victor turned eleven a month ago,” Scott told me. I smiled and nodded.

“I didn’t want to send their gifts, so I have them with me. They can have them a little later, after cake.”

Scott peered down at me, a mock stern expression on his face. I held my hands up in defense, “I didn’t make it.” My hands fell to my sides. “Gabrielle did, actually. As well as the banner.” I pointed to the custom banner hanging over the doorway of the living room for all to see. “She had her middle-schoolers help.”

Scott nodded, and Kevin came over with two plates of appetizers, handing one over to his husband. I smiled at the man, and excused myself, “I have to get some more of those shrimp.”

I grabbed my food, and headed outside to check on the kids. There, I found Gabrielle sitting on a lawn chair, reading and watching the kids run around like maniacs.

I set my plate down, and wrapped my arms around her neck, smiling at her as she smiled up at me. “Having fun out here?” I asked.

Gabrielle nodded. “No one’s hurt,” she reported. She looked over at Wren and Mary. “Those two are basically referees right now, though I don’t think they know what game the little kids are playing.”

“Do you know what they’re playing?”

My wife shook her head, and we both burst into giggles. “Do you want me to get you anything?” I asked as I straightened, my arms still loosely wrapped around her neck. She looked back up, thinking.

“Well, the cake’s for later, so can you get me a drink? Just some water,” she replied.

“What, you tuckered out watching the kids run around like crazy?” I joked. Gabrielle swatted at me, but by then, I was already heading back inside to get her water.

Later, we all gathered in the kitchen for cake, and to see Sarah, as not everyone had seen her upon entering. Several people cooed at the sight of her, bundled in her purple blankets in the arms of Haruhi, Gianna standing to the side.

We stayed over that night, and the next few nights, for the Oregon forest and fog helped me with my writer’s block, and Jasper and Gabrielle’s school had days off. It was nice, spending time with my wife and kid, and with Haruhi, my sister-in-law, and their newborn. Nothing to do but waste the week away with loved ones; my, we had a great time that spring.

 

(######)  
 (Gabrielle’s POV: Less than a month later)

For the third, and final, thus far, addition to our ever growing family, we flew out to Japan: my sister and I, and our wives and kids. It was around the time of Emily’s second child, and though it was difficult at first, I managed to obtain the days off needed for this trip.

Jasper fell asleep on the plane ride there, and didn’t wake up until after we had reached the Hitachiin mansion, but Sam and I stayed up, Sam worrying about Emily.

I placed my hand on top of hers, breaking her from her thoughts, and smiled gently when she looked over at me. Placing my head on her shoulder, I reassured her.

“Emily is your oldest friend, so I know you’re feeling nervous, but she’s going to do just fine. She’s done this once before, she and Kaoru know what to expect this time.”

Sam nodded, but I could feel the tension still radiating off her, and knew I wouldn’t be able to reassure her. Not right now. So, for the rest of the flight, I sat, holding her hand until I myself fell asleep.

When we arrived at the Hitachiin mansion, the twins came out to greet us, the smiles on their faces looking a bit less mischievous than when they were younger, but not by much. Aiko run out to meet Jasper, who was just waking up, but was immediately excited to see the twins and Aiko.

The two ran off, to go and play while we adults talked about boring things and the past and future. Of course, we’ve had some amazing times in the past, but best the kids not know about those until they’re older.

We were led to where Emily was sitting, outside, looking out across the back gardens. Sam, like the mother hen that she is, hurried over, greeting her friend in the same breath as she asked if she was comfortable.

Emily laughed in response, assuring Sam that she was, in fact, very comfortable. “I’m alright, really. Hikaru and Kaoru are taking good care of me.” She turned toward me, greeting me with a smile.

“This is just like when Akio was born,” Emily commented with a sly smile. “You remember?”

I nodded, laughing upon seeing Sam’s grumpy expression. I wrapped an arm around her middle, pulling her toward me. Landing multiple kisses on her cheek and jaw, I smiled at her. “But you’re so adorable when you’re concerned!” I cooed.

She grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. “Shut up,” she lamely concluded her grumblings with. We all laughed, and Sam blushed, biting her lower lip. I kissed the corner of her mouth and moved back. “So, how’s the business going, Hikaru? Kaoru?” My wife asked to distract from her maternal nature.

Hikaru feigned a dramatic sigh as he sat down, perching on the edge of the chair and leaning back. “Models are so hard to work with sometimes. They’re pushy….”

“...., and they think they’re the greatest thing on the planet,” Kaoru concluded with a shake of his head.

“That must tough to deal with,” Sam stated. She chuckled, “You guys probably like Haruhi better as your model, huh?”

We all laughed at that, for the twins were known to succeed in dragging Haruhi into trying on their creations since their high school days. The doorbell rang. “Speaking of…..” Sam trailed off, causing another bout of laughter.

By the time, Haruhi and my sister got to where we were sitting, our laughter had died off but our smiles had remained.

Haruhi looked around the room at everyone’s faces. “I don’t want to know,” she decided. She headed over to Emily and the twins, Sarah sleeping quietly in her arms, as they hadn’t been able to come to Oregon when she was born.

Mackenzie and Tamaki, along with their six-year-olds, arrived shortly before Emily’s water broke, and so, we all had to gather into the Hitachiins’ limos for the hospital, Sam taking it upon herself to call up everyone else and inform them the meeting place was changed as Emily had gone into labor early.

 

(######)  
 (Mackenzie’s POV)

We arrived at the hospital after Emily and the Hitachiin twins did. My twins got out and stood with Gianna, waiting as the driver got my wheelchair out of the trunk and Tamaki helped me out, lifting me with practiced ease out of the car and into the chair.

He happily guided the wheelchair away from the car, and we quickly caught up with Sam, Gabrielle, Jasper, Aiko, Haruhi, and Sarah, who were patiently waiting by the entrance. Inside, Mori, Honey, and his wife, Reiko, were waiting already, probably having seen and greeted Emily and the twins.

We waited patiently…..well, most of us did. Tamaki was pacing absentmindedly, and Sam was watching him, looking tempted to do the same. The kids played together, running around and climbing from one chair to the next. Honey played with them, talking animatedly and Mori oversaw the entire ordeal, along with Reiko, who sat next to him, watching with a fond smile on her lips.

The hours seemed to fly by, and it didn’t seem long before Hikaru came out into the waiting room, face flushed and eyes wild with excitement.

“It’s a girl.”

Everyone rushed to the room Em had been set up in, nerves giving way to excitement equal to Hikaru’s. Tamaki was all too kind to wheel me to the elevator, and we managed to pile in with Mori, Honey, and Reiko.

We didn’t have to wait long for Brittany and Kyoya to arrive, and then the whole family was there, ready to greet the latest addition to the group.

“So, what name did you decide on?” Brittany asked, rocking Manami Hotaru in her arms.

“We decided on Kiku….” Kaoru started.

“.....Kiku Hitachiin,” Hikaru finished. All three were smiling brightly, and their expressions were reflected on the rest of the family’s faces.

For now, we were set at twenty-one family members, and who knows, it might only grow from there, but things had turned out for the better, no matter what pessimistic spiel Sam wanted to start the story with. Maybe we’d allow it, as the story is for our children when they are older and interested to know how we all met.

**Author's Note:**

> Review, comment, criticize. Anything's fine. I'd love to hear from anyone who loves this chapter. More to come, hopefully soon! Thanks!
> 
> -Crystal


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